


Hive

by HaleysCircus



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Bullying, Caning, High School, Humiliation, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Masturbation, Physical Abuse, Rape, Voyeurism, Wet Dream
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-23
Updated: 2014-11-01
Packaged: 2017-12-15 21:45:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 22
Words: 49,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/854377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaleysCircus/pseuds/HaleysCircus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robin faces abuse and bullying from teachers and students at HIVE Academy when Slade forces him to live and study there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Everything was completely and utterly wrong. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. The Titans were supposed to keep attempting to reach out to him, not give up and label him an enemy. They were supposed to find out about the nano-bots in their blood streams and tell him that it was okay. Friendship was more important and all that shit. He was supposed to finally defeat Slade in one of those fights and walk out as Robin once more and not as Slade's apprentice. He was supposed to have his friends and his costume and he should have been saving lives and protecting the people of Jump City. Instead he was sitting outside of the headmaster's office inside H.I.V.E. Academy while Slade enrolled him, effective immediately.

Slade had told him it was so that he could learn as much as he could with the help of other professional villains while living in a more…cruel environment. So that after a while, Robin could adopt the attitude and goals of the other students at H.I.V.E. Academy. But Robin isn't stupid. He knew exactly why Slade was forcing him to study and live here. Slade wanted to flaunt him. He wanted to parade him around the school like a trophy in attempts to humiliate him around criminals his age. It was high school, only everyone was a bully, and Robin didn't go to school.

Robin stopped going to school right before leaving Batman for Jump City. He had just finished the second semester of his freshman year as Dick Grayson in a private school that was heavily funded by Bruce Wayne. Private didn't mean safe. Robin was already rather odd when he started school. Until the death of his parents, he had been homeschooled. The new criteria with structured and organized learning had been all new to him, but he had quickly adapted and even joined the mathletes. That's when kids started calling him a geek and a loser. And who could forget the way wealthy kids would look down at him as if he was gum on their five hundred dollar shoes? He was a circus freak, too strange and too poor to be going to private school. It didn't matter that Alfred picked him up in a fine car every day after school or that Bruce always kept him up with the latest trends. As he walked down the hall, kids would hiss and spit at him names like gypsy or trailer trash. And that was only in middle school.

Freshman year was his breaking point. The year when sexuality and relationships were the big thing and if you picked the wrong person to date, your social life was over. Robin didn't date anybody. Nobody wanted to date a dirty gypsy. Robin hadn't minded the girls blowing him off so much, and he found himself growing more interested in boys as the school year went on. He knew it was wrong, of course. Boys weren't supposed to like other boys, that's just not how it goes, yet, he couldn't resist sneaking glances. He wasn't sure how anyone found out, but when they did, it was the talk of the school for a good three weeks. Homophobic slurs were scratched or written onto his locker and everywhere he went, words like faggot and queer were thrown around. Suddenly, nobody wanted to even be around him anymore. Even his gymnastics coach started calling him the Flying Gayson.

The fact of the matter was, Robin was not meant to go to a school of any kind. Slade had known that. He wasn't sure how, but the man had and he had used it as part of his scheme to crush Robin down until he was nothing more than a pile of dust.

The door opened and Robin was torn from his memories as he looked up. Slade nodded to him and closed the door. "Get up, Robin. It's time to go to your dorm."

Robin nodded and stood, wincing as he straightened out. A bruise on his ribs made itself known and he breathed carefully as he followed the man out of the administration wing and down a long hall to the wing that contained dorms where all the students lived. At the end of the hall, the wing separated into three different sections. On the right, there was the hallway for the boys' dorms and on the left, was the girls'. The staff dorms were placed between the two so that if any student tried to sneak from the boys to the girls or vice versa, they would have to risk sneaking past the teachers. Much to Robin's relief, these hallways were silent other than the echoing of his and Slade's footsteps. Robin expected to be let down the right hall, but to his surprise, Slade gave him a small shove forward into the teachers' section. He led him to the very end of the hall and opened the very last door. Robin slowly stepped in and surveyed the room. It was larger than he'd expect for a dorm room, and a queen size bed was pushed against the back wall. A computer and several screens were positioned against the wall by the door and to the east wall there was a dresser and a closet. He also took note of the bathroom on the other side of the room across from the closet.

"This is my room, Robin. I will be staying with you to make sure you stay out of trouble." Slade told him.

"Really? You're going to sit around and babysit me?" Robin grumbled.

"On the contrary. While you are here, you may be learning from other teachers during the day, but that does not mean I will no longer be training you." Slade told him. His arms shot out and he roughly gripped Robin's jaw, forcing the boy to look him in the eye. "Believe me when I say that nothing is going to change, boy. I will treat you the way I always have, no matter who may be watching. And if I have to punish you," He said, his grip tightening, "I will do as I see fit, no matter who might see."

Robin glared at him from behind his mask and was tempted to spit in the man's face. If only he wasn't wearing the damn face plate.

"Come." Slade ordered, closing the door once Robin was out of the room. He led Robin back through the hallway to the right where the boys' dorms were. He opened one of the dorm rooms with a key that Robin was guessing he had received from the headmaster. He opened the door and allowed Robin to walk in on his own. To his immense disappointment, there were four beds in the room in opposite corners. There was only one that appeared to be unused and next to it sat a dresser for his belongings. Slade walked in and dropped the duffel bag containing Robin's uniforms and gear on the empty bed. "You have exactly one hour to unpack. At that time, you will report to the dining hall and if you are late or try to run away, then I will not be afraid to give you your first lesson of the day. Am I clear?" Slade asked him.

Robin scowled at his shoes and nodded, waiting until Slade was gone to survey the room. Much to his utter distaste, the room was very messy with clothes, random metal scraps and parts, and food wrappers covering the floor. If Batman had seen it, he would have had kittens. "Holy hurricane, Batman." He muttered to himself as he turned back to the duffel bag and pulled out the orange and black uniforms that Slade had forced on him. Those went in the middle drawer. He put his underwear and masks in the top drawer, and stored extra armor and weapons in the bottom. He put his gel and hair brush on top of the dresser, but hesitated to put his hygiene things in the bathroom. He was almost sure that somebody would eventually stick his tooth brush in the toilet. He kept the rest of his things packed for now and stored it under his bed. He checked the time and sighed when he saw it had only been twenty minutes. Did Slade really think he was that slow to require an entire hour to put away what very little he had? He sat down on the bed and looked around again. His training under Batman was starting to kick in and he fought the urge to clean the entire room. It wasn't his stuff. It wasn't his to clean or touch or move. He repeated that to himself until he found an apple core on the floor and nearly gagged at the sight of the rotting thing. That tore it. Robin got up off of the bed and grabbed the trashcan from the bathroom, which also made him want to dry heave in its state. He'd take care of that next. "Just the food. Don't want bugs." Robin said to himself as he gingerly picked up the apple core by the stem and dropped it in. He searched the entire room, picking up candy wrappers, potato chip bags, soda cans, even a few pizza boxes with molding crusts inside. He checked under each bed and discovered a bag of what he guessed may have once been a sandwich, but now looked like Starfire's cooking. The process took about ten minutes.

Once that was done, Robin was glad he could at least stop worrying about bugs. He glanced over to the bathroom again and cringed at the thought of it. It was disgusting. Dead hair was all over the floor and stuck to the sides of the bathtub. Mysterious dried substances were caked on the mirrors and in the sink and the toilet looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years. Robin was grateful that he was wearing shoes and was pretty certain that using the shower would make him even filthier than before he'd gone in. That would definitely not do.

"Thanks, Slade. You just had to put me with the animals." Robin grumbled as he left the room and went searching for a supply closet. Luckily, there was one stocked at the end of the boys' section, though it didn't look like it was ever used other than for pranks. He filled his arms up with paper towels, sponges, a mop, soap, disinfectant wipes, and drain cleaner. On a last thought, he also grabbed gloves and a surgical mask. He managed to carry everything back to the room without dropping anything and once there, set everything on his bed. The first thing he decided to tackle was the shower, since that was the thing he'd have to touch with his bare skin. He turned on the shower and washed away all of the disgusting hair that coated the tub and the shower wall. It was like a truck stop or something. Once every trace of hair and anything else gross was gone, he scrubbed away at the tub until it was as clean as the day it was installed. Once that was done, he tackled the sink. The sink was just as bad as the tub, if not worse and he nearly threw up when he pulled a large clump of hair out of the drain. If this was Slade's way of torturing him, he was doing a pretty good job. It took him less than twenty minutes to clean the toilet and mop the floor. Finally, he wiped the mirrors down and stepped back to appreciate his work. The bathroom was sparkling and completely disinfected. Now it was useable. Robin stepped out of the bathroom and glanced at the clock, horrified when he saw that it was twelve o'seven. Shit.

Robin gathered everything in his arms and returned it to the supply closet, practically throwing them in before running out of the wing and down the long hall that they had come from. He tried to remember where exactly the headmaster had said the dining hall was during the tour and at the end of the hall Robin took a left, hoping it was the right way. For once, the stars were in his favor because he immediately caught sight of the dining hall, as well as all of the students in it. "Holy trolls and goblins, Batman." He muttered to himself as he started to walk down the hall. While he was obviously tired and pretty sure he couldn't defend himself against an entire school of villains, he refused to show weakness. He lifted his head and brought his shoulders back in a strong posture before entering the dining hall. To his slight surprise, there was no evil going on anywhere. Not that he could see. It was just a room full of teenagers chattering away about stuff that he didn't care about. It was just like any other high school. He spotted Slade near the administration table. He was standing up beside his seat, obviously waiting for Robin.

"Why are you late, Robin?" Slade asked with a hint of irritation in his usually calm voice.

Robin looked up at him, fighting back a blush as the room went silent. He didn't look, but he could tell that everybody's eyes were on him. Murmuring arose and he heard his name several times. "I was-."

SMACK!

Robin's head was forced to the side and he brought his hand up to where Slade had hit him. More murmurs arose and Robin's face burned with shame. There was no way he was going to let Slade treat him like a dog. He swung his fist, punching Slade in the jaw with a satisfying crack. A round of gasps filled the dining hall and Robin glared at Slade. "I'm not your pet." He snapped. He refused to be pushed around by the man in front of everyone.

Slade turned back to Robin and cracked his jaw before bringing his foot up and catching it behind Robin's neck, forcing the boy onto his knees with his forehead almost touching the floor. "That's better." Slade nodded. He refused to let Robin up until the boy had stopped resisting completely. "And Robin, you'll be whatever I tell you to be." He finally let the boy up and once he was back on his feet, Robin refused to make eye contact with anybody. His fists tightened and his teeth clenched.

Slade pushed him over to the table and made him sit down. "Eat." He ordered. "Normally you will be sitting with the rest of the students, but today, you will sit with me as my apprentice."

Robin's eyes narrowed and he wished everybody would go back to their lunches. They watched his every move and some of the insecure nervousness that Robin had experienced as a freshman was beginning to come back. He looked down at his plate and started to pick at the food to make sure there was nothing wrong with it. Slade had piled the food with greens, fruits, and white chicken that almost reminded him of the stuff that Batman used to prepare for him on late nights after Alfred had gone to bed. He started to eat, but made sure he didn't fill up. He didn't want to be sluggish if anyone decided to attack him. Robin took the bottle of water that Slade had also provided and took a sip before looking around. While most kids were strangers to his memory, Robin did recognize a few people. Worst of all, he managed to spot the Hive 5 sitting at a table on the other side of the cafeteria. Not only did he see the original three, but Seemore and Kyd Wykkyd were sitting next to Gizmo and a girl that Robin recognized as Angel. And of course, there were at least five or six Billy Numerous clones sitting at a single table with Private H.I.V.E. His eyes moved a few tables down and his attention was suddenly grabbed by one of the students sitting there.

He was tall and lean, but obviously muscular with shoulder length silver hair and long bangs that fell into his eyes. His eyes were dark and mysterious with long eyelashes and a perfectly slanted nose. He wasn't smiling, but Robin was sure that his teeth were just as perfect as the lips that hid them, all painted on flawless pale skin. He wore all black, possibly tights with a silver belt resting on his hips and a black cloak that cascaded gracefully from his shoulders. Robin dropped his fork and completely forgot about his food, choosing to stare at the boy instead until Slade jerked him out of his daydream.

"What is distracting you so much?" Slade hissed, his eyes following Robin's line of sight. He glanced from the boy, to the girls sitting around him. "Do try to keep your hormones under control Robin. For now."

Robin blushed and looked away, praying that Slade hadn't guessed anything. He stood up as Slade did and disposed of his food before following him out of the room with one last glance over at the boy. His eyes widened when they made eye contact and the boy smirked at him, making the hero turned pink and quickly turn around as he hurried out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

The second they were out of the cafeteria, Slade roughly grabbed Robin by the throat and forced him against the nearest wall. "Do not think that your little defiance will go unpunished." He hissed. "I demand respect and obedience from my apprentice, not silly teenage pride."

Robin coughed and desperately clawed at Slade's hand as it pressed down on his trachea. Small strangled noises escaped his throat and his vision grew spotty. Right when he was ready to pass out, Slade released him. Robin crumpled to the ground and gasped for air, his throat sounding hoarse and strained. He got on his hands and knees and coughed, panting as his lungs began to take in oxygen once more and his heart steadied.

"That was simply a warning." Slade informed him. "You irritate me again and I'll wait until you faint to release. Do you understand?" Robin nodded quickly and shakily got to his feet, leaning against the wall for support. "Good." Slade nodded before walking off down the hall.

Robin knew he was expected to follow so he steadied himself on his own two feet and followed after the man. "Where are we going?" He asked. When Slade didn't reply, Robin frowned impatiently and stopped walking. "Where are you taking me?" He demanded to know.

Slade stopped walking as well and turned around to glance down at the small teenager. "Children are best seen and not heard." He told him.

Robin growled in frustration but started to walk again. He didn't want to end up being strangled to death over what could have very well been nothing at all. The noises of the cafeteria started to quiet down until he and Slade were walking in complete silence. He was led to the largest wing of the school: the training and combat wing. There were a number of different training courses in H.I.V.E. that were specifically designed for the different levels of students. The doors to each room increased from the easiest training course, used for year one students, all the way to master courses that were designed to challenge soon to be graduates. Robin couldn't help wondering where he would be placed. Along with the training courses there were three large gymnasiums. Gym A contained gymnastics equipment where students could improve their balance, flexibility, and upper body strength. Robin had caught a glimpse of it earlier and couldn't resist being excited when he saw the trapeze bars that were installed in the ceiling. That was probably the only thing that was good about this place. Gym B was used for target practice with anything from arrows to lasers. Gym C was fairly empty, most likely used for multiple person combat practice.

Slade led him straight into the weight room, much to his dismay. "While I have already known your abilities for months, the school requires that you take a physical exam to record your fitness levels, talents, weaknesses, and usually for most students, powers. Seeing as you are human, we can skip that."

Robin huffed impatiently. "How long is this going to take?"

"Does it really matter?" Slade asked. "Just get on the treadmill, Robin."

Robin was forced to go through a series of different tests to record stamina, agility, speed, flexibility, reflexes, and strength. While he exceeded in most, it was rather embarrassing when Robin could only do about ten reps with an eighty pound barbell.

"Disappointing, Robin." Slade commented with a slightly mocking tone as the boy sat up. "And you were doing so well."

"My skill makes up for it." Robin muttered and suddenly he was being pinned to the ground with his hands held up above his head.

"Well, Robin? Use your skills." Slade dared him. "Apply your fighting techniques and acrobatics."

Robin grunted and strained against Slade's strength, but really, it was like holding down a child. Robin's lean body was already easy to grab onto and throw around like a rag doll, and without strength, the boy could be very vulnerable. He would have to work on that, but for now, it was just the way Slade wanted him.

"Honestly, Robin. Are you even trying?" Slade sighed, despite being able to hear the grunts of Robin's efforts. "This is pathetic." He smirked behind his mask and shifted his knee slightly so that it was pressing against Robin's groin. Just like that, the calm, if not slightly frustrating mood was gone and it was replaced by something far more serious and alarming to Robin.

"Get off of me now." Robin ordered him as a light blush arose on his face.

"What's the matter, Robin?" Slade asked him as he pressed his knee down a little harder. Robin squirmed and turned bright red as he struggled to get out from under the man. Slade lowered his head so that his mask was inches away from Robin's face. "I can do anything I want to you." He stated and before he could continue, the door opened to a group of chattering students. It didn't matter though, Slade's words had struck him to the core.

"Oh, sorry to interrupt." Robin heard somebody say and he winced when he recognized the voice as Jinx's. He glanced over at her to find her smirking smugly at him.

"Apologies are unnecessary." Slade told her as he stood. "You have every right to be here. Get up, Robin. And stay put." He ordered. He then turned and wandered further into the weight room, much to Robin's displeasure.

"Never thought I'd see your face around here." Jinx grinned. "Did the Titans finally get sick of having a worthless human for a leader? Everybody knows you're here. You're the talk of the school. I just can't wait until they get their hands on you."

Robin's hands balled into fists and he took a deep breath. "I have fought men three times your size and decades of wisdom and experience beyond yours. Tell your classmates that they should think twice before running into a fight without fully understanding the opponent." He replied.

"Robin? Making enemies already? Please don't tell me you were an outcast the first time in school. With that attitude towards others, I wouldn't be surprised." Slade said as he reappeared by his apprentice's side.

Robin could sense Jinx study him and he willed himself not to give anything away, but a single glance at his feet was all she needed to see. A triumphant grin spread across her face that Robin pretended not to notice. "In case you didn't notice, Slade, everybody in this school is an enemy. Including you."

Slade rested a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Not much school spirit. We'll work on that." He said. He nodded to Jinx. "Come now, Robin. We are not finished with your examination." He started to walk out. Robin and Jinx exchanged one final glare before he had to leave the room with Slade. Once in the hall, everything was quiet. There were a few stragglers hurrying to class that hardly glanced Robin's way in their hurry and Robin was thankful to no longer be in the spotlight once more.

Slade led him down yet another hallway to the wing next to the training wing. To his surprise, Slade led him straight to the school's infirmary and led to the back where an examination room had been prepared. "I will be getting you ready for the doctor." Slade told him. "Remove your shoes and step onto the scale." He waited while Robin did as he was told and grabbed the blank medical sheet that was resting on the examination table. "One hundred and twelve pounds, Robin?" He asked. "It is no wonder you are so easy to throw around. You are going to have to gain weight."

Robin gritted his teeth, but didn't say a word. He wanted this examination to be done with as soon as possible. Slade then measured his height: five feet exactly. Robin was told to sit on the examination table while Slade scribbled down the information and glanced at the door as a doctor entered. He looked cold and calculating, and if his hair had been a bit more unruly, he could have barely passed as a mad scientist. He scowled in irritation as the man poked and prodded at him: checking his ears, hair, throat, mouth, teeth, reflexes, heart, and breathing. When the doctor reached to remove his mask, Robin immediately kicked him away. "The mask stays." He growled.

"I need to check your eyes." The man grumbled in irritation. "Please don't make me restrain you."

"Apologies, but I must agree with my apprentice. I can tell you that his sight is perfect." Slade told the man.

The doctor wasn't quite happy with being overruled on the matter, but he stayed silent as he scratched down the information. "Alright, remove your clothing, please." He ordered.

Robin stiffened at that. He had never taken his clothes off in front of anybody other than Alfred. Not even the Titans had seen him shirtless. Pants were another thing entirely. There was no way he would be removing anything other than himself from the examination room. "Not a chance." He replied, stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest.

"Please don't be difficult." The doctor sighed impatiently.

"Robin, remove your clothing at once." Slade ordered.

Robin frowned at him. "But-."

"Now, or I will do it for you." Slade threatened.

Robin most certainly did not want that so he slowly removed his gloves and armor. He knew stalling wouldn't help. He'd be naked sooner or later and the faster he did it, the faster it would be over. He let out a sigh and removed his shirt. He hesitated at his pants before pulling those off too. Then he sat down on the examination table in nothing but his red boxer briefs. He could feel Slade's eyes on him and he couldn't hold back a blush that traveled down his entire body. The doctor did a bit more poking and prodding, then tested his muscles and flexibility. At one point, the man told him to stand and bend back as far as he could. Robin could have sworn he'd heard Slade clear his throat when he curled back and began to inch his head through his legs. The doctor then took note of all of his scars and bruises.

"Does he have any weak points?" The doctor asked as he experimentally pressed on pressure points.

"Not that I am aware of. I will have to work on finding them." Slade replied.

Robin wasn't quite sure, but it sounded odd when the man said that. It was as if it had a double meaning. He glanced over at the man skeptically and sighed. "Can I please put my clothes back on?" Robin grumbled. Slade nodded and he hopped off the examination table. He had just tugged his pants back on when the door opened. Robin looked up and his eyes widened when he saw that it was the boy from the cafeteria.

"Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt." The boy said in a calm, assertive tone that made Robin feel like he was the intruder. He glanced over at Robin and looked him up and down. "My apologies."

Robin realized then that he was still shirtless and blushed, rushing to pull it over his head. When he looked up again, the boy was gone. He put his reattached his armor and tugged his gloves and shoes back on before looking over at Slade once more, only to find the man staring at him with his one eye narrowed in thought. "We are going to spend the rest of the day training privately." He told the boy. "Follow closely."

Robin was about to ask him why, but his question was answered when the bell rang and suddenly the hallway was flooded with students. Usually this wasn't a problem, seeing as Robin had become a master at laying low in school crowds in his early junior high years. However, the fact that every student was evil and had powers made things a bit more difficult. In fact, he was actually pretty relieved when he and Slade returned to the safety of the weight room.

"We will be working on hand to hand combat for now." Slade told him before easing into a fighting stance.


	3. Chapter 3

Robin returned to the dorm feeling like he had been broken and fixed a hundred times. Every muscle in his legs protested with each step he took and his arms felt like noodles. Slade had worked him to the bone, refusing to give him breaks or water until he had performed to his satisfaction. Not to mention that every time he made a mistake, he was punished with a blow to the face or ribs. He was pretty certain that a few of his bones were broken, despite Slade's insisting that he was fine. He had nearly cried when it was finally time for dinner and after a quick meal of salmon and green beans, Slade had allowed him to return to his dorm. He took the pass key Slade had given him and unlocked the door before entering the dark room. He was about to flop onto his sheets, but then hesitated when he realized how disgusting he must have been after such a hard training session. He selected a pair of boxers and an undershirt from the small amount of civvies that Slade had granted him before heading into the bathroom. When he entered it, he thanked himself profusely for choosing to clean it and set his clean clothes on the closed toilet lid before stripping and getting into the shower. He scrubbed away the sweat and grime from the day, as well as a few patches of dried blood that he had either not noticed or had chosen to ignore. A few gashes were starting to bleed again, so once he had washed his hair and removed his mask to clean his face up, he stepped out of the shower and dried off. Leaving his mask off, Robin got dressed and hunted down a first aid kit. He found one pushed to the very back of the space under the sink where it had most likely been forgotten about. He tended to the few cuts that were worth paying attention to and put the kit away before gathering up his clothing in his arms and walking into the room, only to find that his other three roommates had returned and were rather upset about something.

When Robin saw them, he let out a distressed sound and dropped his bundle of clothes to the floor in a desperate attempt to find his mask. He kept his head down with his long black hair shielding their view of his face. On his hands and knees, he sorted through the clothing, crawling forward until he caught sight of his mask peeking out from under somebody's shoe.

"Looking for this?" He heard Gizmo asked and his blood ran cold. Slade had done this on purpose. He had roomed him with criminals that he knew and had fought with. Villains that had a vendetta against him. Robin froze and kept his head down in mortification. He couldn't stay in that spot all night. He needed to get over to his dresser so that he could get another mask on.

"Hey, Mammoth! Check it out!" Robin heard Seemore call. "Is that Robin?"

"Sure is." Gizmo replied and Robin could imagine the smirk on his face. "I caught him without his mask on."

Robin took a shaky breath, his face burning in humiliation at the position he was in. Here he was on his hands and knees in front of the smallest villain ever.

"What should we do with him?" Mammoth asked and Robin shut his eyes tightly.

"Please give it back." Robin said to Gizmo. "What do you have to gain from seeing me without it?"

"A lot, stupid." Gizmo replied. "Mammoth, show his face."

Robin felt himself being lifted and dropped on the ground again, onto his back. He immediately covered his face with his hands as Mammoth held him down.

"Seemore, pull his hands away." Gizmo instructed as he readied a camera. "I'm gonna show this to the whole school."

Robin struggled against his restraints and he squeezed his eyes shut as his wrists were pinned down on either side of his head. "If you don't let me up I will make you wish you were never born." He threatened, seeing as pleading wasn't going to help.

"Oh yea, I'd like to see you try." Gizmo cackled.

"You see what I mean, Robin?" A voice by the door asked and Robin nearly opened his eyes in surprise. Slade walked over to the boy with a mask in hand. "If you had any real muscles in your arms, you could have resisted Seemore. Mammoth? Perhaps not." He turned to the other students. "Release him." Mammoth and Seemore did as they were told and Robin quickly backed away, ducking his head once more to hide behind his hair. Slade threw the mask at his feet and Robin quickly pressed it to his eyes before looking up at Slade in shame. "That was pathetic, Robin, and foolish. All of that could have easily been avoided." He roughly grabbed Robin's arm and yanked him to his feet before slamming him against the wall. "You're an embarrassment." He hissed before walking out of the room.

The boys were completely silent until Gizmo started to cackle obnoxiously. "Not so tough now, are you?" He asked smugly.

Robin ignored him, his heart pounding as he gathered his clothes back up and dropped them in his laundry basket before slipping into bed. He was much too tired to fight with his new roommates and hoped that they would leave him alone. He heard them moving around and his stomach tightened as one of them walked into the bathroom.

"Hey!" Gizmo called. "What happened to our bathroom?"

"What are you talking about?" Mammoth asked, poking his head in. "Woah! Do we have maids here now?"

"Nah, they can pay for more exams, but not for anything to make our lives easier." Seemore piped up.

"Well then who did this?" Gizmo screeched in his irritating voice.

Robin sighed, knowing that they would never shut up, forced himself to sit up. "I cleaned it." He stated.

Gizmo hurried out of the bathroom and stared at him in disbelief. "You what? Why would you do that?" He asked angrily.

Robin's masked eyes narrowed. "You're acting as if it's a bad thing. All I did was make it a little more useable."

"Oh, I didn't realize we were in the presence of a Queen!" Seemore rolled his eye.

Robin stiffened at their unintentionally homophobic jab and huffed. "You're crazy if you actually thought I'd use that truck stop of a bathroom. It had to be done."

"You're such a priss." Gizmo glared. "Why does he have to room with us?"

"Trust me, I'm not thrilled either." Robin muttered to himself. He was too exhausted for any more fighting so he pulled the covers over his head and shut his eyes. As tempted as he was to fall asleep, he didn't quite trust his new roommates not to do anything. He pretended to be asleep and kept his hears alert for anything suspicious. After twenty minutes he started to think they would leave him alone and began to drift off, but almost as soon as he did, he felt his hand being inserted into a bowl of warm water and his senses immediately woke up. He could hear the muffled giggles of Seemore and Mammoth while Gizmo shushed them.

"You got the camera ready, Seemore?" Gizmo whispered.

"Yep." Seemore snickered.

Robin's eyes nearly snapped open when he actually felt a twinge in his bladder, unable to believe that it was actually working. He quickly tightened his muscles to hold it and once the wave of desperation had passed, he loosened again.

"Nothing's happening." Mammoth commented disappointedly.

"Maybe it takes longer. Or we could just pour the water on his lap." Gizmo snickered deviously.

Hearing that, Robin's eyes did pop open and he pushed the bowl off of his bed, making it fall onto Gizmo.

"Hey!" Gizmo cried out.

"It didn't work." Robin stated, getting out of bed. He shut himself in the bathroom and quickly relieved himself before getting back into bed. "Now leave me alone."

The three teens grumbled and walked over to their own beds. Once he was absolutely certain they wouldn't be bothering him anymore, Robin was more than happy to fall asleep.

The next morning, Robin woke up a half hour before the wake-up bell and grabbed his clothes for the day before creeping into the bathroom. Mammoth snored loudly in his sleep and it nearly made Robin jump a foot in the air. Once he had locked himself in the bathroom, Robin let out a sigh of relief and turned on the light. He used the toilet and brushed his teeth, then stripped off his mask to wash his face as well. He dressed in his-Slade's uniform and let out a sigh when he realized that he hadn't been granted any hair gel. He'd have to talk to Slade about that later. He'd just have to wear it down for now, though emo hair wasn't really his thing. He stepped out of the bathroom and put on his belt, shoes, and gloves. With one last glance at the sleeping teens, he slipped out of the room just as the wake up bell rang.

"You're early." Slade commented as Robin entered the cafeteria and sat down with a plate of food. Robin ignored the man and focused on peeling his orange. The cafeteria was pretty quiet. Only a handful of students, most likely early risers and honor students, were awake and chatting softly with one another. Occasionally, Robin received a few glances but he was starting to get used to them after his big entrance yesterday. He kept to himself, wincing slightly when Slade roughly pushed a hand over his long, messy flop of dark hair. "New look?"

Robin sighed. He knew Slade was trying to engage him in conversation, make him act as if none of this bothered him. The apprenticeship, the school, the blackmail, everything. He refused to act like everything was okay. He refused to be a pet. "You didn't give me any hair gel." He grumbled.

"I'll fix that." Slade replied calmly. Robin's sour mood didn't seem to faze him at all. "By tonight."

Robin went back to ignoring him and spent the rest of his breakfast in a bitter silence. Today was supposedly his first day of practice, though he wasn't quite sure how that would turn out. When more students began to filter in, Robin decided that it was time to leave and got, only to have his arm seized by one of Slade's strong hands. "Where do you think you're going, apprentice?"

"Anywhere but here." Robin huffed and yanked away.

"You are to stay at the table until I am ready to leave." The criminal replied.

"Then you stay. What's the big deal?" Robin scowled.

"Don't talk back to me." Slade said sternly.

"Why should I listen to you?" Robin spat. "You hardly deserve the respect of a slug let alone my respect." By now, everybody in the cafeteria was watching the exchange in silent fascination. Most of them hoped Slade kicked the boy's ass and the rest were just thankful that they weren't in Robin's position.

Slade abruptly stood and looked down at the teen, towering over him considerably. This didn't intimidate the small boy in the slightest. He glared up at the man with masked eyes, his arms tightly at his sides. "You have one chance to apologize, or you will be very sorry."

"I'm not afraid of you." Was all Robin stated in reply. Suddenly, he was roughly grabbed by the collar of uniform and lifted off of the floor, his feet kicking in search of the ground. Slade pulled him close, face to mask.

"You should be." Slade said and threw him into the nearest wall with a loud thud.

The entire room gasped in surprise and watched intently as Robin got to his feet and charged at the man with a war cry. He threw a flurry of punches and kicks that Slade easily blocked or avoided completely. Slade grabbed Robin's ankle and easily threw the boy across the room towards one of the student's tables. Those seated there let out a cry of alarm as the boy came sailing their way, but Robin took it in stride. He landed on his hands and flipped all the way down the table, careful to avoid people's food. Getting down, he ran up onto another table and leapt from it onto a rafter, swinging down to kick Slade square in the mask. He gracefully landed on the ground and smirked in satisfaction as the man stumbled back a few steps, but the damage was almost nonexistent as Slade came charging at him. Robin jumped up, only to be struck across the face. He staggered back and his legs were swept out from under him. Before he could get up again, Slade had his boot pressed down against his windpipe and he struggled to breathe.

"You are trying my patience, little boy." Slade growled. "You are disrespectful, disobedient, and rude."

The pressure on his throat increased and he let out a short gasp, desperately clawing at Slade's leg. He writhed around wildly as panic overwhelmed him. Slade should be letting up on his trachea by now, but if anything, he was pushing down even more. He let out a strangled cry, his fingernails uselessly digging into the Kevlar of Slade's outfit. Only when blackness crept into his vision did he feel his airway open once more and he immediately rolled over, coughing and gasping for breath. His hair fell in his face and Slade's boot returned to his vision, gently lifting his chin up to meet Slade's one eye. "Next time, I will wait until you're unconscious."

Robin lifted himself up off of the ground and shook his bangs out of his eyes, glad that his mask kept him from making eye contact with anyone. He gritted his teeth as students smirked at him smugly. Slade was trying to break him, but Robin refused to oblige, especially in front of these students. A rough shoulder turned him and aggressively pushed him over to the exit of the cafeteria, making him stumble. He quickly regained his footing and looked over at Slade hatefully as he was led out into the hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Once in the hall, Slade slammed him into the wall. "You are my apprentice. I own you, Robin. Do not make a fool of yourself by thinking otherwise."

Robin glared at him before looking away. "The only thing that keeps me here is my friends. If it wasn't for them, I'd kill myself trying to get away from you." He hissed.

"That'll change." Slade said. "Eventually, you will break, even if you don't realize it."

Robin didn't want to hear anything more after that and Slade seemed to detect this, for he didn't say anything more the subject. He let Robin to his first class, which was History of Crime and Villainy. Robin was tempted to roll his eyes. How cliché could this school get? All of his school supplies and textbooks were waiting for him there in a backpack with Slade's emblem on it. "Quite a school." He scoffed. "Who's coming on career day? Two-Face and Penguin?" He asked sarcastically.

Slade responded by gently shoving him over to the desk closest to the teacher's desk. "That's your seat. So sit. If I hear about any disobedience, you will regret it dearly." Beside him, the seemingly ancient teacher nodded his approval at that threat and left shortly after Slade did to get some coffee. Robin immediately stood up and turned to leave the room, only to come face to face with that boy he had seen in the cafeteria and then the nurse's office the day before. His eyes widened in surprise and he took a step back.

"Are you alright?" He asked. "He really kicked your ass."

Robin blushed. Great, even he had seen it. "I'm fine." He muttered, looking at the floor.

"You were the hero, right? Robin?" The boy asked. He smiled teasingly.

Robin let a small smile touch his lips and nodded. "Yes."

"What made you cross over to the dark side?" The boy asked, and Robin realized he was joking.

"Oh you know, got sick of saving people and being a good citizen." The hero shrugged sarcastically.

The boy's eyes were creating a hole in his head and Robin willed himself to remain cool. "I know your name, but you don't know mine." He smiled and brought a hand that was decorated with mystic looking rings to his chin. "I'm Kaine."

Robin nodded. "Nice to meet you." He said, then caught himself. This was way too casual a conversation. This boy, Kaine, was a villain! Evil! Criminal! But oh God he was hot. Suddenly, he felt a hand running over his hair and he stiffened, fighting down a blush that threatened to dominate his face.

"I like your hair. You should keep it like this." Kaine commented. He watched with a touch of curiosity in his eyes as Robin's eyes sparkled with excitement and fear at the same time.

"I…I ran out of hair gel." Robin shrugged. He opened his mouth to talk, but the bell rang and the chatter of students grew louder as the mass of teens got closer.

"We'll talk after class." Kaine smiled, resting a hand on Robin's shoulder. "It was nice to meet you."

Robin stared as Kaine turned and walked over to his own desk near the back and quickly sat down as his new classmates started to enter the room. God, he was such an idiot! Couldn't he have said anything cooler? You know, like "oh, I totally know the Joker" or "I'm inheriting the batmobile." "I ran out of hair gel?" Really? That was the best he could do? Robin cringed. "Holy hot guy, Batman." He muttered to himself.

Turns out, History of Crime and Villainy was just as boring as every other history class he had ever taken. Robin leaned back in his seat as the teacher droned on and on about people like Bonny and Clyde and Al Capone. This really was history. Ancient history. If he wanted to learn about old villains, he'd go talk to Kid Flash's grandfather.

"Robin!"

Robin lifted his head.

"I'm sorry if I'm boring you, but do try to pay attention." The teacher frowned grumpily. "Most of us have never met the legendary criminals that you have, so at least humble us with your participation."

The other students giggled as Robin's face turned red and his eyes narrowed at the teacher. "I'm so very sorry." He said dryly. "I should really show some respect to those that devoted their lives to theft and murder."

"Mind your tongue, boy." The teacher warned before returning to the lesson.

Robin put his head back down. How ironic. A hero in a school of criminals and he's the troublemaker. He knew that this would not be a good experience.

To Robin's surprise, there weren't just villain classes at the HIVE Academy, but normal, plain high school classes as well. Robin found himself enjoying his Algebra II and Trigonometry class. He had always been exceptionally good at mathematics. Unfortunately, Gizmo happened to be in his class, which psyched him out a little. That, however, did not mean he was going to let Gizmo beat him in a battle of intelligence. They had been given sheets of trigonometry equations to solve and the two had immediately gone into battle. In the end it was Robin who finished first and he smugly smirked as he handed to completed packet to the teacher.

"Show off." Gizmo huffed.

Unfortunately, the class couldn't last forever and Robin reluctantly made his way to his next class in the gym. With a bit of happiness, he saw that Kaine was in this class, but was disappointed to see that Mammoth, Jinx, and Seemore were too.

"Line up!" A rough voice barked out.

Robin jumped a little in surprise and joined the line, trying to keep a good distance between himself and everyone else. A scruffy man the size of a gorilla with a face to match walked over to them. He wore a sour expression, as if he had been sniffing Beast Boy's laundry and Robin let out a laugh at the thought.

"What's so funny?" The gym teacher snapped.

Robin shrugged. "Nothing."

"New meat, huh? You won't last a week in my class." The coach chuckled evilly.

Robin snorted. "I seriously doubt that."

The man scowled at him. "Listen kid, I don't take shit from anybody, especially little fuckers like you."

Robin raised an eyebrow. He had spent a good chunk of his life dealing with asshole gym coaches.

The coach stepped back. "My name is Coach Cleaman. Don't get on my bad side, or I'll make you regret it."

Robin rolled his eyes as the man went on with hollering out orders. He followed the class out to the large track field in the back of the school and started to run. Great. Not only did he have to attend combat practice and fitness training, but there was just a stupid old gym class as well. He ran the four laps around the track and stopped to catch his breath. The issued gym uniform was not nearly as free moving and breathable as the uniforms that Slade made him wear and Robin almost found him missing the outfit. Almost.

"Girls, you'll be playing tennis in the courts today and boys will be playing football." The coach announced. He looked over at Robin and smirked. "If that's too much for you, feel free to join the girls."

Robin's face burned and he crossed his arms as giggles and snickers erupted behind him. "No thanks." He said evenly. He followed the rest of the boys over to the football field and brushed his bangs out of his face. Once more, they were told to line up and captains were chosen. As expected, Robin was last to be picked for a team. What he didn't expect was for Kaine to step forward, looking absolutely desirable in his gym clothes with his muscles showing thanks to the short sleeves, and invite him onto his team. Robin bit back a smile and went to stand by him.

"Alright, shirts and skins!"

Robin sat in the school's library that night and worked on a history report that was due the next class. He had to choose two famous serial killers from the time period of 1800 to 2000 and compare them in an essay. It wasn't that it was boring, it really wasn't something that he wanted to learn more about.

"I thought I'd find you here." Kaine smiled, taking a seat across from Robin.

The hero looked up in surprise and smiled. "Hi. How did you find me?"

Kaine chuckled. "I sensed your aura. Oddly…colorful, with strange tints of black."

Robin blushed and shrugged. "I'm guessing you're pretty popular here?"

The other boy let out a laugh. "I guess you could say that. I get around."

"I can see that." Robin nodded. He stared down at his paper. "I've never been one to fit in." He admitted softly.

"Well no shit. With Batman as a father, how could you?" Kaine replied, a teasing smile playing across his features. "What is Batman like?"

Robin shrugged. "Serious."

"That explains a lot." Kaine smirked.

"Good evening, Robin. I see you've made a friend." Slade spoke up from behind him.

Robin sighed and stood up, grabbing his books. "I'll talk to you later." He frowned, walking off the mercenary. He didn't want to leave, but he really didn't want to make a big scene in front of the guy he was almost certain was the man he wanted to marry someday. If he ever decided to give up crime. He seemed nice enough to do it.

Robin allowed Slade to lead him back to his dorm and let out a grunt as he was shoved inside. "Was that necessary?"

"Bed by ten." Slade replied before leaving him by himself.

Robin sighed and decided that it was best to take a shower now before the other boys came back. Once he was clean, he curled up on his bed and worked on homework. He managed to get quite bit done, that is until Mammoth and Gizmo came crashing through the door. The grip on his pencil tightened and let out a sigh.

"Oh, you're here." Gizmo spat. "We were hoping Spike and Garrick had gotten to you."

"I'm going to take a guess and say that they're the bullies of this school. I'm also going to assume that they aren't the brightest stars in the sky and they made up their own names." Robin stated, never looking up from his work.

"You think you're so smart and cool, crudsniffer." Gizmo muttered as he flopped down on his own bed.

"You have a problem with me, take it up with Slade." Robin snapped. "You think I wanna be here?"

"Poor baby." Mammoth replied, making Robin growl.

"Just you wait. By the end of the week, you'll be torn apart and pleading for mercy." Gizmo cackled.

"I bet." Robin said sarcastically.

The boys glared at him and once Seemore arrived, they pretended he wasn't even there. Robin preferred it that way.

Robin's biggest flaw, much like Batman, was that he didn't know when to stop working. If Alfred didn't remind him to sleep and eat and go to meetings as Bruce Wayne, Batman would keep working for the rest of his life. Robin had adopted this habit from the man. His seemingly unhealthy addiction to work had often worried the other Titans, even when he insisted that he was perfectly fine. However, there were those moments when he underestimated how hungry or tired or thirsty he was and his body had shut down on him. Now was one of those times. At eleven thirty, after at least ten minutes of insulting the boy with no response whatsoever, Gizmo and Seemore had crept over to the boy's bed, only to find him hunched over his homework and very much asleep.

Gizmo made a face. "What do we do with him?"

Seemore shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I don't feel like getting my ass kicked by Slade."

Gizmo scoffed. "Slade. Picks that goody two shoes over us. Just watch out, Robin. You're in for it."


	5. Chapter 5

Gizmo was wrong. Robin survived his first week at Hive Academy just fine. Sure, there were mean teachers and bullies and everything else that high school had to offer, but that didn't keep Robin down. He and Kaine hung out every day in the library, and once Slade had even allowed Robin to sit with Kaine at his table. He stared at the two the entire time, but still. Robin excelled in all of his class, including gym, no matter how much other students and Coach Cleaman tried to make his life a living hell. Unfortunately, during Robin's second week, they did.

When Coach Cleaman realized that he wasn't getting to the boy using fear and intimidation, he resorted to name calling. At first it was normal stuff. Freak, weakling, loser, lady. Then it got more specific. The Wednesday after his first day, Robin was back in gym class for another hour of football. This time Robin was stuck on the team opposite of Kaine and his heart leapt into his throat when Coach announced his team shirts. He watched as Kaine seemed to tug his shirt off in slow motion, sweat glistening on his perfect abs and broad chest. He was delicious. The sun made his pale skin glow bright like an angel's and even the girls had stopped playing tennis to observe this display of the male species at its finest.

"Alright, Bird Boy, stopped drooling." Coach called out and the other boys laughed as Robin turned bright red. He glared at the man hatefully and got in line to start, face to face with his smirking, wonderfully shirtless friend. The game started and someone tackled someone else. Start again. Tackle. Start again, run, tackle again. Start, and then suddenly, the ball was in his hands. The other guys on his team yelled at him to run and that's exactly what he did. He took off, sprinting down the field, only to be tackled and pinned to the ground. When Robin opened his eyes, he nearly died at the sight. Kaine was pinning him to the ground. Kaine was straddling his hips. Kaine was shirtless. Robin was absolutely speechless, turning bright red. Instead of getting off of him, Kaine stared at him curiously.

"K-Kaine." Robin frowned, his eyes widening when Kaine traced a finger around the boys lips. The hero just about choked.

"Meet me in the library tonight at nine." He whispered to the raven haired boy before getting up and grabbing the ball, holding it in the air triumphantly.

Robin pushed himself up off the ground and brushed the dirt off of his clothes, trying to shake out of his daze. If he didn't know any better, he'd say Kaine liked him. Kaine liked him? No, what was he saying? He was hearing what he wanted to hear. Kaine didn't really like him like that. Kaine was straight. He didn't want to go out with a boy, and even if he did, he wouldn't want to go out with the likes of Robin. And even if he did, Slade wouldn't allow it. But Kaine liked him. Maybe.

Robin spent the rest of the class turning this notion over in his mind as the game went on, and by the time class was over, Robin was ready for school to be finished with for the day. He changed back into his uniform as quickly as possible and hurried to lunch, only to find Slade waiting for him outside the gymnasium. "Hungry, Robin?" The man asked.

Robin didn't reply. He knew the drill by now. Waving goodbye to Kaine, the young hero followed Slade to the cafeteria. There, he went through the lunch line and took his seat at Slade's side and started to distractedly pick at his food. He was too nervous and excited to eat now. He hadn't been dreaming, Kaine had looked at him with those gorgeous eyes and run that long, delicate finger over his lips. If that was platonic, then Beast Boy loved to eat bacon. All through lunch, he noticed Slade staring at him curiously and willed himself not to stare back, no matter how much he wanted to. Staring might lead to talking and he really wasn't in the mood right now. His mind was too preoccupied. After lunch, Robin raced to his last class of the day and eagerly waited for the day to end. Not that he didn't love Mechanics and Weaponry class, but it really required a lot of focus and that was something he didn't have much of considering the circumstances. So far, not many students had dared to mess with him, knowing that if anything happened to the precious apprentice, they would have to face the wrath of Slade, and nobody wanted that. Robin nearly laughed in pleasure when the bell rang and he hurried back to his room to shower and do his hair. He had to look his absolute best for Kaine. He slapped a new mask on his face and paced in his room. It was three thirty seven. He had five hours and twenty three minutes to go until it was time to meet Kaine in the library. Three hundred and twenty three minutes, nineteen thousand three hundred and eighty seconds. To Robin it seemed like years.

Robin did his best to be patient and distract himself until nine, but it was nearly impossible. He started his homework and ended up reading the same questions over and over, unable to concentrate. Gizmo, Mammoth, and Seemore never came back to the dorm, which struck the boy wonder as a little strange, but he figured they were hanging out with their friends. At six thirty, Robin got up to go to dinner and once more had no appetite due to the butterflies that were already filling his stomach. He glanced up and locked eyes with Kaine, who smiled and sent him a wink. Robin blushed and smiled at his lap, but switched back to his scowl the second Slade glanced over at him.

Seven forty nine. Robin gave his homework another shot, but it was still no use. He was way too wired for math, even for something as simple as law of cosines. He flopped back on his bed and groaned impatiently. This was taking way too long. He sat up and looked around. Maybe there was something else he could do in the meantime.

Eight sixteen. Robin resorted to entertaining himself by doing somersaults over the beds of his roommates. The floor was lava and the only way around the room was from flipping from bed to desk to chair, to bed. He was really bored.

Eight thirty two. Robin brushed his teeth for the third time. What if Kaine kissed him? Oh God, what if Kaine kissed him?

Eight forty. Robin groaned and flopped down onto his chair. What was he doing? He sounded like some pathetic little school girl. Even if Kaine did like him, so what? His main priorities right now were saving his friends and defeating Slade.

Eight fifty two. It hadn't been difficult to sneak out of his dorm and he willed himself to speed walk to the library. He'd prefer to run, but he didn't want to face Kaine all sweaty and red faced. The library had just closed so there was nobody around and Robin slipped into the dark place undetected. "Kaine?" He whispered, his heart pounding in his chest. He checked the time again. Eight fifty nine. Close enough. He wandered through the library, which seemed much more hostile at night and nearly let out a cry of surprise when graceful hands encircled his waist. "Kaine!"

The sorcerer chuckled and nodded. "Did I scare you?"

Robin was glad that the darkness of the library hid his glowing blush as he let out an insulted scoff. "You wish. The night is my domain, remember?"

"You forget that you are among villains now. We were born from the darkness." Kaine replied with a teasing smile.

Robin crossed his arms over his chest, hoping that Kaine couldn't hear his heart pounding in his chest. He looked around as silence fell between them.

"Robin, look at me." Kaine replied, and the former sidekick did just that. Kaine's eyes were so bright in the dark room that Robin was convinced he was actually making them glow. Nevertheless, Robin couldn't bring himself to look away. "You like me, don't you?"

Robin nodded. "Of course. You're the only one who's nice to me here."

Kaine smiled tightly. "Yes, but that's not what I meant. You know what I'm talking about, don't deny it."

Robin blushed furiously. "I…I'm not sure what you're talking about." Calm down, Robin, just play it cool.

"You shouldn't lie to your friends, Robin. I've seen the way you blush when I look at you, or stumble over your words when I talk to you. And let's not forget today on the football field." Kaine said. He walked towards Robin, making him back up into a shelf of books. "You…like boys, don't you Robin?"

Robin's eyes widened behind his mask. "No…I…" He trailed off. He stared into the boy's glowing eyes and a sudden wave of calm washed over him. This was Kaine, his friend, he could tell him anything. "Yes." He found the word slipping off of his tongue without a second thought and it seemed to echo in the emptiness of the library. He stiffened as Kaine's fingers brushed along his jaw and he became aware of just how close they were.

"Have you ever…kissed a boy?" Kaine whispered. Their faces were only inches apart and Robin quickly shook his head. "Would you like to?" Robin nodded bashfully this time. He was trembling slightly, his face bright red. Kaine's lips got closer, eliminating the distance between them and Robin held his breath, closing his eyes behind his mask. Suddenly, the feeling of Kaine's hot breath on his skin disappeared and when Robin opened his eyes, he realized that Kaine had pulled away.

"On second thought," He smirked as he backed up. "I don't associate with disgusting little faggots."

Robin felt like the air had been kicked out of him at that and he looked up in surprise as other students started to step out from behind bookshelves. He recognized Jinx and the rest of the members from the Hive 5, as well as quite a few students in his gym and combat classes. It began to sink in. This was a set-up. Kaine never really liked him, he was just pretending. He was like every other villain at this school. They all wanted to see him crash and burn.

"I knew it." Jinx smirked as thirteen or so students surrounded him, blocking him from the exit.

Robin was frozen, unsure of what was going on as the situation sank in. They knew. They would tell everybody and the bullying would happen all over again. Tears stung his eyes and he quickly blinked them back.

"We don't tolerate fags in this school." Mammoth growled, cracking his knuckles.

"If you lay a finger on me, Slade will kill you." Robin said quickly. He wasn't prepared to fight right now. He was heartbroken. He just wanted to run to his room and cry into a pillow over the humiliation and betrayal he was experiencing.

"Sorry, Robby, but Slade doesn't scare me." Kaine shrugged. "Spike, Garrick? Make an example out of him."

Two larger than life boys lumbered forward and Robin's heart sank. Spike looked like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle without its shell, and Garrick appeared to be some sort of warlock. Robin step back and prepared to flee, but magic surrounded him and froze him in his spot. Kaine walked forward and grinned maliciously as he raised Robin up into the air and over to the two large teens before slamming him into the floor. The boy wonder did not have a chance to spring back to his feet before Spike was holding him down. "Let go of me!" Robin growled, but he couldn't compete with the boy's superhuman strength.

"I don't think so." Spike grinned evilly. "We've got plans for you, fairy boy."

Robin glared at him. "I'm not afraid of you." He spat. "I've faced the Joker, remember?"

"We haven't even started yet." Kaine smiled.

"And besides, this is a high school." Jinx stated. "We're taking a more traditional approach." Her eyes narrowed and her grin widened. "Strip him."

Robin sucked in hair as his shirt was suddenly yanked off of him and he writhed beneath his restraints. When his arms were momentarily freed, he jammed several fingers into Spike's eyes and rolled away in a heartbeat. He felt Kaine's magic seize him once more and he sighed, kicking himself once more for being so stupid for his feelings.

"There, now do it." Kaine snapped.

Spike and Warrick both glared at him before turning back to the young hero. "Don't do this. You'll really regret it." Robin warned as the two removed his shoes and socks, wincing when they roughly tugged down his pants and belt. Gloves were removed as well until the only clothing he had on was his mask and the tight black boxer briefs Slade had given him with his uniforms. That's when Kaine approached him with mock pity on his face.

"Poor little bird. All alone with no friends. Just like your first time in school, am I right?" He smirked. "It's your own fault. You perverted freak. I wonder if your precious little team knows."

Robin glared at him. "If you're trying to make me cry or something, you aren't doing a very good job."

"Oh, right. Hm, well you'll cry eventually. We've got all night." Kaine whispered. "And if you're a good boy and don't try to fight back, I'll let you keep your underwear."

Robin growled and spat in his face.

Kaine calmly wiped it away before striking Robin across the face. "Dirty little cocksucker." He hissed. "Turn him over and get the knife."

Robin found himself being flipped over onto his stomach as somebody seized his legs and forearms, holding him down to the floor. A flash of silver gleamed in the corner of his eye and he immediately tensed up. "We don't need you attracting any unwanted attention…" Kaine murmured. "Gag him, won't you, Jinx?"

The girl stepped forward and stuffed a rag into his mouth, then tied a second one around his head so that he couldn't spit it out. Robin let out muffled barks of rage, freezing when he felt something sharp and cold on his back.

"Now you better not cry." Kaine whispered in his ear maliciously. He let out a soft chuckle and Robin felt stinging, burning pain as the knife dug into his back. Instead of letting up, Kaine kept the pressure going, creating a line down Robin's upper back right near his shoulder blade. Robin screamed at the white-hot pain and writhed desperately. He couldn't let this happen. They were just some kids. How could they be doing this to him? They weren't even adults yet! The knife let up for a few seconds before returning to the top of his back and slicing in again. Robin shrieked in pain as his shaggy black hair fell into his face. Beads of sweat formed on his brow and raced down the side of his face to mix with the tears that were leaking from his mask. His back arched and his body went into a bit of a spasm as Kaine brought the knife to his skin yet again.

"Oh don't be such a baby." Gizmo cackled, but even he looked a little sorry as Kaine carved three large letters into his back. Blood seeped from the wounds and dribbled down his back and splattered onto the ground in tiny pools that stained the otherwise flawless white floor.

Robin panted when he felt the knife cut into his skin one last time. Another scream vibrated in his throat and he sobbed through the gags that muffled every sound he made. Finally, the pressure on his limbs that held him down disappeared and Kaine calmly walked around to observe Robin's face. "Hm, disappointing." He sighed. "I was really hoping you wouldn't cave in so soon." He crouched down by Robin's back and took one manicured nail, dragging it through the deep cuts. Without the restraints, Robin screamed and wildly writhed on the floor as if he was being possessed. He rolled onto his back and whimpered brokenly, sobbing into the rags.

"Come on, you got to do your sadistic shit. It's our turn now." Mammoth frowned.

Kaine sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine, scribble away."

Robin shook his head wildly as he was held down once more and he screamed in terror when he felt something make contact with his skin, expecting another knife. He squirmed and struggled like a caged animal and Gizmo huffed. "He keeps moving!"

"I can fix that." Jinx chuckled. Robin looked up and the last thing he saw before passing out was Jinx slamming a heavy book down onto his head.


	6. Chapter 6

Slade had just finished getting dressed when there was an urgent knocking on his door. He let out an irritated sigh. The faculty here knew better than to bother him with their "important" problems first thing in the morning. He opened the door to find the headmistress standing there with a grim expression on her face.

"What is so important that you had to disrupt my morning?" Slade asked him.

"It concerns your apprentice, Mr. Slade." The woman replied stiffly. "You need to come to the cafeteria right away.

Slade looked at her curiously, wondering what the hell Robin had done this time. With an irritated sigh, he followed her down the hall. Robin was going to wish he had never been born after he got through his punishment. As they got closer to the cafeteria, Slade could hear quite a bit of noise coming from it, students yelling and chattering excitedly about something. Just about everybody in the entire school was there in the large hall and Slade nearly had to fight his way in. Once he had gotten past the large mass of students, he looked up and was surprised to see his nearly naked apprentice hanging from the rafters of the cafeteria by thick metal chains that were attached to the leather cuffs. These cuffs were secured tightly around Robin's small wrists, cutting into the skin. That wasn't his only cut. Robin's back was caked in dried blood that ran all the way down his legs like vines entwining an old house. Far below him on the floor, a small puddle of blood had also started to turn brown-red. Despite the mess, Slade could still make out the word that had been carved across the back of his young apprentice. FAG.

"This is how we found him this morning. Most of the students were already here." The headmistress stated. "You should have listened to me, Mr. Slade. Bringing that hero here was a very big mistake."

"I don't think his morals were the problem." Slade murmured as he stepped around to view Robin's front. His lean but muscular stomach was graffitied with every homophobic slur in the book from fairy to queer, cocksucker to sissy. They stained his pale skin in a flurry of blacks and reds and blues, crude penmanship making the offense all the more brutal. Somebody had colored in the whites of Robin's mask with black marker so that he couldn't see and the gag remained in his mouth. Black hair flopped down in his face and his head was bowed, almost as if in shame.

"Take him down, if you don't mind." Slade stated calmly. "He's providing a bit of an unnecessary distraction to the other students."

"As you wish." The head mistress nodded and in a matter of minutes, Robin was lowered to the ground in a crumpled heap. Slade walked forward and scooped the small boy up into his arm, mindful of the cuts on his back. The students had stopped jeering by now and were completely silent as they observed the master criminal before them. Slade's footsteps echoed in the room as he made his way towards the exit and students parted like the Red sea for him on instinct. They all stared at the crumpled boy in his arms that seemed much more like a fragile, broken doll than a fearless fighting machine, his chest going up and down with shallow breaths and then Slade was gone. Chatter quickly arose once more.

Slade carried Robin to the infirmary so that the doctor there could disinfect and treat the cuts on Robin's back. He carefully rested Robin on his stomach in the infirmary bed and stared at the word again. Fag. Stupid boy, things like love had no place here. It was childish and pathetic.

"Do you want me to give him any painkillers?" The doctor asked. "Some of the gashes are too deep and he'll need stitches."

Slade looked down at his apprentice who was just starting to stir and shook his head. "He is a big boy, he can handle it."

Robin let out a small whimper of pain as he came to and looked up. Instead of Kaine's enchanting eyes, he found himself staring into blackness, but immediately registered Slade's presence. Oh no, Slade. He had probably heard. He undoubtedly knew everything. The criminal mastermind looked down at him, as emotionless as a robot. "Hold still."

Before Robin could as a single question, his wrists and ankles were being restrained by leather straps that tied him down to the bed. They were also secured around his biceps, knees and thighs. "Hey! What's going on?" He demanded to know and Slade could hear the fear in his otherwise sharp tone. Nobody answered him, and suddenly a sharp needle pierced the wounds in his back, making his entire body jolt with the sudden sting. "Ah!" He cried out. Instead of pulling the needle away, the doctor pushed the needle through his hardly healed flesh. He could feel the surgical thread that the doctor was using grate against his skin and he gritted his teeth, cringing at the sensation. Over and over his skin was impaled by the sharp needle and his entire body quivered as tears rolled down his cheeks with every sharp gasp that escaped his throat. Was this punishment? Slade's own version of discipline? But for what? Being a homosexual?

The sewing seemed to last forever and finally, the doctor tugged on the last thread to make sure it was tight enough, eliciting a small whimper from the young hero. He cleaned away the fresh blood that had formed and sterilized the wound before applying bandages to the rest of the cuts that hadn't required stitches. Robin's face was buried in the infirmary bed's pillow and when he felt the restraints being removed, he lifted his head and wiped his face clean of tears and snot and saliva.

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Slade asked but even in his monotone voice, Robin could sense a hint of mockery in it. "Now get up, you mustn't be a bother to the infirmary any longer. You shall return to your dorm and rest for the day."

Robin couldn't move. The stitches were tightly sewn and still raw, allowing very little free movement. Slade ordered him to stand up again. "Does it look like I can move?" He snapped. "I can't even see!" Suddenly, he felt Slade's gloved hand press roughly on the new stitches and he let out a small cry of pain.

"You better learn to respect your master." Slade warned him before picking the small boy up in his arms and carrying him out of the infirmary. Robin didn't bother to reply as he was carried back to his dorm and placed on his bed stomach down. Without hesitation, Robin found himself being stripped completely and he let out an alarmed yelp.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Robin protested. "This is pedophilia!"

Slade stopped to observe the boy for a moment, but said nothing as he tugged a clean pair of boxers up the boy's legs and tossed away the dirty ones that were caked with dried blood. Finally, he yanked the blacked out mask off of Robin's eyes, looking down at surprised blue eyes. The eyes suddenly narrowed into a glower and Robin turned away from him, facing the opposite wall.

"Get away from me." He muttered. "This is all your fault."

"Really? Honestly Robin, now you're just being childish." Slade sighed.

"Just shut the fuck up!" Robin snarled. "It's your fault that I'm here and not with my team. It's your fault that I have to spend every day with a school filled with people who hate me! It's your fault that Kaine cut up my back and outed me to the school!"

"Don't start with me on this, boy." Slade sighed in irritation more than anger. "Nobody forced you to go to that sorcerer's apprentice last night. Start taking responsibility for you own foolish actions." He dropped a new mask onto the bed beside Robin's face and left.

Robin immediately pressed the new mask to his face and didn't last long before he was fast asleep. The physical and emotional trauma mixed with the loss of blood had really made him tired. The doctor had guaranteed that a transplant was not necessary, for which Robin was thankful for, but now he was glad to be alone and safe…for the meantime.

Robin felt like he was floating. Obviously, that wasn't the case seeing as he was human, but what did it matter? He was dreaming, wasn't he? Of course he was. He was in Titans Tower. He and Starfire and Raven and Cyborg and Beast Boy had just gotten back from their night patrol. He was in his bed. No apprenticeship. No school. No fag bashing. No...Slade. And then he was back down to Earth. The atmosphere crushing his lungs and pressing his bones as the Goddamn label that was carved into his skin burned like lemon juice in paper cuts. Color hurts, oxygen hurts, life hurts. He made himself get up. Get up and walk into the bathroom and stare into the mirror. When he saw himself, he wanted to cringe. To wince, to hiss, to gasp, but no. Why should he? He'd seen a beaten, bruised body before. This was nothing new. So why did FAG pierce his mind just as much as Kaine's knife had pierced the skin on his back. "Holy homophobia, Batman." Robin murmured to himself as he surveyed the half-scrubbed slurs that were slowly fading like grudges and bruises that littered his skin in angry storm clouds. The statement, so simple seemed to echo against the tiles of the bathroom and he found himself chuckling, then laughing, and finally, crying. He felt ridiculous. Was he really cracking so soon? For Christ's sake, it was only high school! He was disgusted with himself. He sucked in a breath and slowly released. At least his ribs weren't broken.


	7. Chapter 7

"Let's go! This isn't kindergarten and I'm not your mommy! Last person finished runs it again!"

Robin panted, pushing himself harder and ignoring the dull ache that was nagging his side. Apparently in high school, the definition of homosexuality was weak, feminine, and incompetent. Everybody forgot the fact that he was one of the greatest fighters in the country, no, the world. It didn't matter that he had fought along with Batman or defeated criminals ten times larger or stronger than him. Nope, a true judge of someone 's being was whether or not he liked boys. So he refused to be beaten. Yea, yea, he and Slade had that in common, whatever. But now it was different. Before it was just about remaining on top. Now it was all about survival. He passed the imaginary finish line and slowed to a walk. He didn't allow himself to pant, or bend over, or anything. If he was going to prove these ignorant criminals wrong, there was no room for flaw. A day. That was all Slade had given him before sticking him back in his Kevlar uniform and pushing him back into the sea of the student body. He was drowning in taunts and teasing, judgmental glares and ignorant laughter. Coach Cleaman of course, took pleasure in this little piece of news.

"Wow, first one done?" Cleaman asked rhetorically.

Robin didn't reply. His lungs, desperate for more air tightened in his chest, but he simply ignored the constricting feeling. No flaws. He stiffened as the others soon caught up with him and immediately took note of Kaine, who was acting as if he had never been friends with Robin. Never almost kissed him or sliced up his back with a knife. Nope, just a beautiful sorcerer in gym class. La la dee da.

"Ladies, tennis. Gentlemen, football on the left field." Cleaman barked. A nasty sneer dominated his face as he glanced down at Robin. "Feel free to join the ladies, bird boy. I understand that seeing real men in action can be a bit overwhelming for someone with your condition."

Robin's face burned with anger as Cleaman's comment brought on a round of snickers. The only difference was that this time, all of his accusations were true. Well, mostly, and that's what really stung the young boy. "No thank you, coach, but I appreciate your understanding." He said through gritted teeth. He paused and smirked. "It definitely takes one to know one."

Cleaman's bald head turned positively magenta with fury as his other students bit their lips or looked at him wide-eyed. This wasn't just a disruptive student anymore. This was a challenge to his manliness. He glared into the white of Robin's mask. "Alright then." Once the girls had left for tennis, he selected half of the boys as one team. "You guys will be shirts." He announced. He pointed to the leftover half, including Robin and his lip curled over his teeth maliciously. "And you'll be skins."

Robin couldn't resist stiffening at the sound of that. Clearly this man was insane. How else could he be working at such an establishment? It was obvious that if he played skins, it was very likely that his cuts would break open once more and probably end in infection or gangrene or something. And of course, the news of Robin's "outing" had spread around the school like Nutella. They all knew that he'd gotten the crap beaten out of him. What they were not expecting, was the series of gashes that marked up his back, red and irritated and undoubtedly very sensitive. He ignored the triumphant and smug expressions from idiots that didn't fucking know anything and made his supposed walk of shame to the "skins" side of the field. He had a beautiful body. You know, soft skin: pale but not doughy, chiseled abs with a trim, sculptured stomach and gracefully muscular arms. A real Aberzombie underwear model. So why did he feel like some morbidly obese seven year old, what with the way everyone was staring at him. He got his answer when he was quickly shoved to the ground, and the hand that had done the deed quickly snapped back as if burned.

"Listen up, faggot." Some husky block of a kid growled at him threateningly. "This is a football game, not a buffet. Leave the girly shit at home and if you even look at any of us wrong, we'll kick your ass."

Robin rolled his eyes and pushed himself up off of the grass. "Don't flatter yourself." He scoffed, then cringed. That sounded pretty gay. At least he thought it did and he spoke pretty fluent straight boy.

"Watch yourself, queer." The boy warned. He shoved past him roughly, easily jarring the lean boy aside. The rest of the boys followed close behind, jeering and scowling at him as they passed.

Robin huffed in irritation. So it begins. He reluctantly followed the other boys up to the fifty-yard line and bent forward a little bit, prepared to catch the ball if it ever came his way: very unlikely. He didn't bend over too much though, he wasn't an idiot. For the most part, he didn't get much of a chance to participate. Shocker. But for some reason, the other boys took every opportunity to roughly shove him to the ground. The impact obviously hurt, and by the middle of the game, trails of blood were easing down his back from his broken and cracking wounds. Dirt was in the reopened cuts and it stung like a bitch, but Robin didn't dare complain. He already knew what kind of reception he would get. So he pushed on.

"Watch out, faggot! Pay attention!" Mammoth roared at him.

"Say please." Robin muttered under his breath and looked up to see the ball flying straight for him. Just before he could catch it, a flash of gray sped past him and intercepted the ball, shoving his back. He refused to let the Neanderthal go and quickly shot after him, catching up and tackling him to the ground with a triumphant grin.

"Rape!" The boy suddenly screamed, writhing around dramatically beneath the smaller teen. "Someone help! He's gonna butt fuck me! Rape!"

Robin's eyes widened behind his white mask and he hurriedly scrambled off of him as Cleaman blasted his whistle. "Alright, enough!" He called to the student that was still spazzing in the grass. "Bird boy, try to control yourself." He smirked.

Robin's face burned with rage. He couldn't take this anymore. Wouldn't. He had spent his much too long letting assholes like these walk over him like dirt and scrape him off of their shoes like shit. He was not a sad little acrobat anymore. He was Robin, and Robin didn't get pushed around by a bunch of kids. He looked up and was about to protest this treatment, but before he had a chance, Cleaman was blowing that damn whistle again.

"Showers!" He barked.

Robin stiffened. Another new problem suddenly arose. Gym class showers were ever out gay boy's nightmare. No, he didn't enjoy seeing all of his peers naked, but there was no explaining that to those ignorant fools. It was all "don't molest me!" and "stop staring at my junk, faggot!" Honestly, girls liked boys and they never molested anyone in the showers. Stupid ignorance.

Robin slowly made his way into the locker room, his muscles tense as every pair of eyes rested their hateful, accusing glances on him. Without a word, the young hero forced his feet to carry him all the way to his locker, which had also been marred: cocksucker spray messily sprayed across in bloody paint. He pretended it wasn't even there and proceeded to remove the lock and strip from his gym clothes. Keeping his mask on, of course, he slowly moved like a deer checking for any signs of hunters nearby. He experimentally took a few more steps and held his breath as he finally just made the long walk to the shower. He was being childish. There was no need to be afraid of these jerks. So they wrote a mean word on his locker, boo fucking hoo. He had been tortured by the Joker! He'd witnessed his parent's deaths! He'd been ridiculed and mocked for almost everything! For being too rich and too poor. Too smart and too dumb. Too athletic and too weak. For liking boys and not liking girls. Why the hell should he care what they have to say? Who were they to judge him?

Robin was ripped from his thoughts as the steam of the shower drew him back to his focus. He unclenched his teeth and took a stuffy breath. Ignoring everything around him, Robin simply focused on washing the sweat and grime from his body. A scratch here, a scuff there, all washed down the drain. Not his problem anymore. However, when the water hit his back, he couldn't hold back a hiss of agony that made several boys look over and smirk, as if his pain was their utmost satisfaction. Robin couldn't push back a sense of suspicion when nobody attacked him, even when he finished his shower and wrapped the towel around his lean hips, carefully returning to his locker.

His clothes were missing.

Of course.

Robin sighed and rolled his eyes from under his mask. He should have seen this coming. Hadn't he learned not to leave his things unattended the first time he was in high school? Idiot. Keeping a tight grip on his towel, he walked over to the mass of boys. "Who took them?" He asked, irritation seeping into his tone. The boys exchanged glances and one of them made a face.

"Put some clothes on, fag. You may enjoy walking around naked in front of a bunch of guys, but don't pull us into your sick fantasy." A boy he didn't know called out to him as he dressed.

"Please. In every one of my fantasies, you're all in jail where you belong." Robin muttered as he walked away.

"What a rehearsed hero thing to say." Kaine murmured as he replaced his numerous rings onto his fingers. "Did Batman make you note cards with catch phrases to recite?"

Robin stiffened. "Don't say his name."

Kaine smirked at him and stepped forward. "I bet you and Batman had a real close relationship. Hm?"

Robin's face boiled with rage as others began to listen in on the exchange.

"Batman's little pet…to fuck and suck." Kaine grinned, emphasizing those two words that made Robin stiffen. "Is that why you left him, Robin? Or was it that you were too old? I always figured the Bat had a thing for little boys. Creature of the night ind-."

SMACK.

Kaine looked up in slight surprise. Robin's teeth were clenched furiously and his mask had narrowed to reflect the rage of his eyes. "Shut up!" He roared.

"So the bird does have a temper." Kaine chuckled. "Slade would be pleased to know that." He stared straight into the white of Robin's mask. "Slade's pet now, aren't you? Perhaps he'll fill the void that Batman left."

Robin's eyes widened behind his mask and he took a shocked stop back. "No, Slade would never…"

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, Robin. But who cares? A little cockslut like you? You'll like it." Kaine chuckled lowly before leaving the locker room, leaving the rest of the boys to stare at the young, furious hero. Robin hated to believe anything that asshole said, but what if Slade was planning to force him into something? He let out an angry breath and returned to his locker, only to find his clothes strewn across the bench and floor. His uniform had been ripped and littered with the offensive graffiti that had stained his skin only days ago. He had no choice to put it on, and was relieved to see that the tears were not too drastic, thanks to the strength of the suit's material. The bell rang, so hair dripping, he quickly grabbed his things and hurried to the cafeteria before anybody could stop to give him any crap.

He kept to himself in the lunch line and made sure his food never left his sight, knowing that if he looked away from it for even a second, spit and small bombs and poison would find its way into it. He gripped his tray tightly as he approached the table that Slade was sat at, Kaine's words echoing in his mind. Since nobody was actually willing to come near him other than to bring harm to him in some way, Slade had allowed him to remain eating at the staff's table beside him. He set his tray down, but before he could take a seat, Slade was standing up and roughly yanking on the boy's dark hair.

"Explain your appearance." Slade ordered.

Robin kept his eyes on the floor as everyone turned to watch. This was one of the student bodys' favorite forms of entertainment. It was always fun to see Robin humiliated and beaten down by his worst enemy. "What do you expect from such a corrupted place?" He muttered bitterly. His cheek was rewarded with a sharp strike to the face that knocked his head all the way around.

"You'd think such an attitude would have died out by now." Slade murmured to himself.

"I know another thing that can go die out." Robin spat hatefully. At this, he was picked up and slammed against the wall.

"Come now, Robin. Must you have a tart retort for everything? Honestly, sassy homosexuals are such a cliché." Slade said to him, making the students all laugh.

Robin roared angrily and came charging after the man. He was completely fed up with this bullshit. If Slade wanted an obedient pet, then he was definitely wasting his time. He attempted to surprise the man with a flying kick, but the criminal saw it coming and grabbed ahold of his ankle, flinging him halfway across the room. Robin, familiar with the sensation of such a flight took it in stride, landing on one of the many tables, though this time he really didn't give a fuck about whether he avoided people's food or not. He pulled out a bo staff and charged at Slade with another war cry. The students all watched in fascination at the battle that was occurring between two obviously skilled fighters. Robin was getting a little tired, his breaths turning into pants as the fight continued. Sweat dripped down his forehead and his healing body ached, but Slade didn't seem to be tired in the least. That meant that Robin wasn't either. He would keep fighting.

"This is your warning, Robin. Stop immediately or you will greatly regret it." Slade called to him.

"Only in your dreams." Robin growled as he advanced on the man once more.

Slade saw the mistake before the boy even made it. His footing was completely off. One little trip and….

Robin's face collided with the wall and before he could even recover, Slade had him pressed against the concrete. "This is childish." He scolded. "You will be severely punished."

Robin's eyes widened when he found a gloved hand coming towards his mask and he slipped out of the man's hold, crawling right through the large criminal's lands. Not the smoothest move, but that didn't matter at the moment. Unfortunately, he took too long to get up and a heavy boot pushed down on his back, forcing him onto the hard floor. His limbs sprawled out, he struggled to get up, but the force had his muscles quivering. Suddenly, the back of his already torn shirt was being ripped off and cool air hit the tender slices in his back.

"Final warning, Robin. Submit this instant." Slade said, casually grabbing the pot of steaming coffee off of the table. Eyes widened when they realized what he was going to do.

Robin simply threw a couple curses at him, so without warning, Slade began to pour the scalding coffee onto his apprentice torturously slow. As the steaming liquid seeped into his wounds, Robin jerked violently and cried out in protest, struggling beneath Slade's boot. More coffee trickled into the wounds and tormented screams filled the cafeteria and some of the expressions began to change from glee to surprise.

"Does that hurt?" Slade asked casually. "I would suppose it does."

Robin writhed around wildly, letting out possessed wails that reverberated off of the walls. Tears of agony streamed down his face, escaping the confinement of his mask. Slade however, seemed to be growing bored and simply dumped the rest of the hot coffee onto the boy before removing his boot from his back. Stars invaded Robin's vision, accompanied by spots of black that threatened to steal his consciousness. He was pretty sure it was over and curled into a ball, hiding his face in his arms to conceal the tortured sobs that ripped free from his raw throat.

"Pathetic. I expect better behavior from you, Robin." Slade murmured as he returned to his place at the table and resumed eating. He didn't bother to move the boy when he finally did faint. The students were quiet that afternoon as they finished their lunches, staring curiously at the crumpled heap on the floor that was once a might hero of Gotham and Jump. Burns were starting to enflame the boy's pale back, complimenting the irritated wounds left by Kaine's knife. Bruises littered his back, his arms, his stomach, his face. Bruises everywhere. Tried tear tracks, torn clothing, it was all so much and some of the villains actually found themselves pitying the dumb hero.

Only when he had finished his lunch, did Slade pick up the beaten boy and carry him to the infirmary.


	8. Chapter 8

Robin didn't wake up in the infirmary like he had expected to. He didn't even wake up in his dorm. No, he found himself in a large king size bed, his naked body covered by a maroon comforter. The boy sat up and groaned, his various aches and pains taking their turns in the spotlight. None of them were as bad as his back, which had become even more painful since the last time he had been unconscious. Surveying the room, Robin tried to figure out where he had landed himself now. It didn't seem familiar in any way. It looked like nothing more than a bedroom. A vacant bedroom, perhaps.

The slamming of a door made his head turn and he stiffened at the sight of Slade's large body blocking the light from the hallway. His mask prevented Robin from seeing his face, but there was definitely something off about the man. His calm front had somehow dissolved into something new. Something Robin was not quite sure he liked. Nevertheless, he straightened his shoulders and glared at the large man. "Back from killing babies and setting kittens on fire, I suppose." Robin stated with an evident attitude. He jumped slightly when Slade's gigantic fist collided with the wall, the loud boom making his whole body jolt in surprise.

"SILENCE!" Slade roared, and Robin found himself obeying. "I am done playing games, little apprentice." He hissed dangerously. "I have given you more than enough chances to hand yourself over to me willingly, but now it seems that I must take it myself." He chuckled maliciously from under his mask. "Though I do believe this will be more satisfying."

Robin's eyes widened from behind his mask and for the first time, he realized that he was indeed, completely unclothed sans the small scrap of fabric covering his eyes. He took in a sharp breath of hair and looked up into Slade's cold eye. "You don't mean…no! That's pedophilia! You can't do that!"

"Since when has the law ever kept me from doing as I please?" Slade asked him. "And as for pedophilia, you're hardly a child anymore. You are fifteen, not five. Surely you've experienced the pleasures of another's body before." When he received no reply, he smirked from beneath his mask. "Well then this will be all the more pleasurable."

Robin paled and he attempted to scramble off of the bed, but he couldn't even make it to the end of the bed before something choked around his neck, forcing him back. It was only then that he noticed the thick leather collar that was securely locked around his delicate throat. Hooked onto it was a sturdy chain that in turn was securely locked to the metal piping of the headboard. Robin's stomach flipped and he whirled around the see Slade removing each article of clothing from his person and neatly folding it at the end of the bed, taking as long as he pleased while Robin sat and watched, knowing what was coming.

"S-Slade, I'm sorry. I won't fight you anymore. I'll do whatever you say. Just please don't do this." Robin said shakily, clinging to the covers for modesty. His hands quivered slightly and his knuckles turned white.

"Too late for that, Robin, much too late." Slade chuckled as he stripped to his boxers, mask remaining of course. Robin flushed to see that he was already hard and from the looks of it, quite big. His muscles were even more impressive than Robin had ever imagined, though that simply piled onto his mountain of fears.

"It's time to begin."

Slade walked over to the bed and grabbed two leather cuffs from the drawer of the nightstand. He easily overpowered the struggling teen, restraining his hands to the bar by a short chain that allowed minimal movement. It was really more for Slade's convenience than for Robin's comfort. Lastly, he ripped off Robin's mask, ignoring the cry of protest and replaced it with a heavy blindfold. "Are you ready, Robin?"

"What, no gag?" Robin asked in a shaky voice. His breathing faltered and became uneven.

"I prefer to hear ever sound you make." Slade replied. "Pain and pleasure."

The bed dipped and the comforter was thrown off, leaving Robin's naked body exposed and vulnerable for Slade's taking. A rough calloused hand rubbed his tiny pale thigh and a shudder jolted through his body. Then, lips. Soft, if not slightly chapped pressing roughly against his own. He tried to turn away, but a firm grip on his jaw kept his head in place. A tongue, slimy and thick like some disgusting serpent infiltrated his mouth, tasting of stale saliva and something else that didn't taste quite right. Like his own mouth, but bitter. He gagged as the slick thing explored his mouth and tried to bite down on it, but with Slade's firm grip on his jaw, there was nothing he could do but wait and pray for the gruesome kiss to be done with. It finally did let up, but he shivered as he felt the man sucking on his neck, leaving a countless array of bite marks around the collar and even a few scattered around on his collar bone.

Robin let out small gasps of pain as he bit down on the skin, licking away the blood that pearled at each breakage of skin, like a dog lapping up water. "Slade! Please…" He begged, but the criminal chose to ignore him in favor of flicking a tongue over one of the teen's pink nipples. Robin let out a gasp of distress and squirmed and the sensitivity Slade's actions had brought.

"I figured you would enjoy that." Slade chuckled before doing the same to the other. He tweaked on the left as his lips sucked on the right, his teeth grazing over the bud. He paid quite a bit of attention to those and to Robin's utmost horror, he felt himself getting a little hard. He writhed as the lips travelled down his stomach and rested on his pelvic bone. He nearly let out a squeal when he felt a hand wrap around his cock, average for a boy his age and size, contrary to fangirl's belief. His thighs quivered as the older man's calloused hand pumped his member, coaxing into a completely erect state. Robin desperately but down on his lip to keep even a single moan from escaping. He refused to let Slade think he was enjoying this nightmare.

"Enough dawdling." Slade murmured. "I have somewhere I need to go soon, so I am not going to stretch it out unnecessarily. Yes, I will enjoy it to the fullest, but I am going to simply fuck you. No teasing, no foreplay, that can wait until next time." He chuckled darkly.

Hearing that, Robin went into a full-fledged panic and began to kick wildly, catching the older man in the jaw. Angrily, Slade seized Robin's ankles and bent them forward. "I will break it if you make me." He warned. That threat put an end to the kicking, but Robin was still writhing around wildly, like a trapped animal. His wrists yanked at the restraints and he screamed out for help.

"Foolish boy, Batman is not here to save you anymore. You are all alone." Slade whispered into his ear. The man's hot breath hit his skin and beneath the blindfold, tears formed in Robin's eyes. He was right. Batman, Alfred, the Titans, they were all gone. He was just a little boy, all alone.

Slade roughly gripped Robin's thighs and spread them, making Robin cry out again at the pain of his grip. "Let's see just how flexible you really are." Slade smirked and pushed the young acrobat's legs apart until they were in a perfect split and then some. Glorious. In this position, Slade had perfect access to Robin's puckered little entrance. Keeping the tiny white legs in their inhumanly spread formation, he lined his rock hard cock up with the hole and shoved in without warning or preparation.

Robin's back arched and he screamed shrilly as he was impaled by Slade's huge cock. He had been torn apart like prey. He could feel his body rip and tear as the man forced himself into the boy's small hole, grunting at the pleasure of being inside something so tight and warm and perfect. Gripping Robin's hips roughly enough to leave ugly bruises, the man slammed into him again and again. Blood from his torn anus acted as a sort of lubricant that only helped a tiny bit. Robin could hardly bear the pain that seemed to consume him as a whole. His body wracked with sobs and howls, screaming and pleading and begging for the man to stop, but Slade was far too gone in his pleasure to stop now. No, he was determined to finish, no matter what the boy had to say about it. This went on for several more minutes before Slade came inside Robin with a loud grunt of pleasure. When he felt the gooey substance squirt into him, Robin's entire body seized up and he froze, shuddering in horror and pain and disgust. A few more lazy thrusts and then Slade pulled out, cleaning his cock off with a towel he'd laid out. As he got dressed, he observed the boy who lay as still as death on his bed, cum and blood seeping out of his ass and staining the bed sheets. Tiny little gasps that Slade assumed to be sobs were the only sounds coming from Robin, and tear tracks were beginning to dry on his skin, turning it red and blotchy. After he was completely clothed and his mask was concealing his face once more, the criminal removed the blindfold, which was damp from sweat and tears.

"Pathetic, Robin."

Slade undid the wrist buckles and unhooked the chain from the collar that remained locked around his neck. The second he was free, Robin thrust himself over the side of the bed and threw up the contents of his stomach onto the floor of Slade's bedroom, much to the man's disgust. Without hesitation, he knocked the weak hero straight into the pile of bile. "Get up, you filthy animal." He hissed, watching as Robin shakily got to his knees and crawled out of the vomit, his sweaty bangs hanging into his eyes. Growing impatient, Slade simply grabbed the collar and quite literally dragged him across the floor like a mutt, his bare skin rubbing painfully on the floor. "I should make you lick that up." He growled angrily as he tugged Robin all the way over to the door and promptly threw him into the hallway. "Have a good night, pet."

Robin sat outside the room for several minutes in complete and utter disbelief, processing everything that had happened. He'd been raped. Rape. He was dirty, unclean, corrupt, he had let that vile man do those things to him. No hero would want him on their team and no city would want him as their hero. Dirty faggot. Butt naked, traumatized and covered in vomit, semen and blood, Robin shakily got to his feet and shuffled back to his dorm. It didn't matter if anybody saw him, his dignity had been crumpled and crushed into the pieces, his pride spat on and burned alive. He felt like a shell of a person. Not even, he felt dead, but the pain was too much proof that he was in fact alive. A shame.

He tested the door of his dormitory. It opened easily. He entered silently with bangs shielding his eyes and filth and bile cloaking his skin. The nauseating stench of pizza immediately hit his nose and the artificial chaos of videogames infiltrated his ears, a deafening sound that made his head swim. It was all too much. Everything was too much. Why? He used to do things like this all the time with his old teammates. Why was it so agonizing to him now? He closed the door and then the sound suddenly dissipated. He wasn't quite sure if the others had seen him and paused the game, or if it was his own mind playing tricks on him. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Without a sound, he turned and shakily walked into the bathroom to get rid of the grime that polluted his flesh. Dried semen plastered to his body and rancid vomit emanated a horribly acidic scent that was almost too much to bear. He could never be clean on the inside, but he could at least pretend he was on the outside. He stayed in the shower for as long as possible, afraid that Slade would be waiting for him when he returned to the main room. His face crumpled and he started to sob, utterly ashamed of himself as he did so. Millions of people all over the world were raped. If they could cope, why couldn't he, a fearless protector of Jump and Gotham? He decided then, that just for tonight he would allow himself to cry.

Just tonight.


	9. Chapter 9

"Did you see him?"

"Nah, but Gizmo said he looked like shit."

"Vomit and blood and whatever."

"That's disgusting."

"What do you expect from a filthy queer?"

"Fucking fag."

"Seemore said that he locked himself in the bathroom and didn't come out for hours."

"Mammoth said he could hear him crying."

"Pathetic."

"You don't think anything actually happened to him, do you?"

"What? No way. Stupid fairy just wants some attention."

"It's his own fault for being such a goody goody."

"He probably likes it."

The door of the cafeteria opened and the chattering of gossip ceased. Silence filled the room as thick as molasses and Slade's footsteps seemed to echo as he entered. With the students' undivided attention, he turned to look over his shoulder at someone in the hallway. "Come now." He ordered.

Anticipation built up in those few short seconds as the students leaned forward in their seats, all eager to see what had happened to the mighty Robin who had dared to fly from his cage. Slowly, the raven boy appeared in the doorway and obediently followed Slade to his seat. He looked pale and unusually shaky for someone of his age. Purple and black bruises in the shape of fingers stained his jaw line like ink that had accidentally gotten on his fingers before touching his face. Another bruise, more like a sunshine of yellows, pinks, and browns peeked out from his mask on his left cheekbone. To the sadistic satisfaction of some, there was a noticeable limp in his step and he walked as if he would collapse any second, his tiny legs quivering like a nervous child. However, the most noticeable change in the Robin's appearance was the thick leather color that was locked around his abused, hickey littered throat. A murmur arose throughout the masses, buzzing in Robin's ears like a swarm of bees.

"Look at him."

"Look at the collar."

"Look at the bruises."

"Look at his limping."

"Look at the hickeys."

Looking. They were all looking at him. At his bruises, at his dignity, smashed like a crystal glass dropped on the tiled floor of a kitchen. At his pride, burnt into a smoking black crisp that curled into itself helplessly.

Without a single sound, Robin got his breakfast and returned to Slade's side, taking his seat at the table. He could feel everyone's eyes on him and he willed himself to ignore them, never dare to look up as he reached for his fork. Then suddenly a strong hand was wrapped around the collar that encircled his neck. He hardly had time to even glance over at the man before Slade was yanking him right off of the bench and onto the floor like a mangy dog. His tray was flung down with him and a majority of his food splashed back up into his face or spilled onto the floor.

"Pets eat on the floor." Slade stated simply before returning to his own breakfast.

Robin's face reddened at the humiliation as a chorus of laughter aimed directly towards him broke the tension and awe that had previously resided. He sat up, wincing at the pain in his torn up entrance as he attempted to wipe the food off of his face and body. He glanced up at Slade to see if he was serious, but the man had already resumed his own breakfast. Of course. Slade was always serious.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't eat off of the floor like an animal. Like a pitiful, pathetic creature of filth. While his pride had been burnt, the ashes still remained. The ashes…

By the time Slade had finished his food, Robin had not once touched his so the man simply tugged him up by the collar, choking him in the process, and led him out of the room.

For once, Robin found himself warmly welcoming the peaceful dullness of his morning classes. Sure they were all boring, but he didn't think he could bear the idea of facing a gymnasium full of students who hated him. Not today. He didn't dare look at anybody, especially Kaine, who had spent all of Criminal History sending him malicious, knowing looks. His algebra class was probably the best part of the day. He could just whiz through notes and packets and homework in exchange for being left alone.

Lunch came sooner than Robin would have liked, even though his stomach ached hollowly for something to fill it. He shuffled like a defective zombie to the cafeteria and ignored the reception his peers gave him: full of giggles and taunts. His heart sank when he saw that his lunch was already prepared for him and waiting on a tray…in Slade's lap.

"You must eat, pet. A starving boy with weak muscles won't benefit me." Slade stated as Robin came over.

"I'm not eating out of your lap." Robin mumbled, staring at his shoes as he did so.

"I'm sorry, but did I give you an option?" Slade asked.

Robin glowered at the floor, his fists clenching at his sides. "N-No."

"Then what makes you think you can defy me?" Slade asked. "Or did last night's "lesson" not get through to you?"

Robin instinctively backed up at the threatening tone in his voice. "I d-don't care." He said, ignoring his shaking voice. "I'm not your d-dog."

Slade swiftly got up and turned to face Robin, but the boy was prepared. He quickly distanced himself from the mercenary. Lunch and a show…the students knew they were in for a particularly special treat today.

"Robin." Slade barked sharply. "Get over here, now!"

Robin didn't say a word. He looked like a scared child: aware that he was in big trouble and knowing discipline would come swiftly. He took another step back towards the student tables. The entire room froze as Robin's and Slade's eyes locked. Seconds that seemed like eons ticked by. It reminded everyone of a showdown between two cowboys. Suddenly Slade darted forward and Robin took off like a hunted deer, galloping across the cafeteria. He panted, his lungs clouded with fear.

"Robin!" Slade roared again and the tiny boy scrambled up the wall of the cafeteria like an exorcism gone wrong, up, up into the rafters of the ceiling to hide. He gasped for breath and his heart pounded in his chest. He was in so much trouble. He didn't even want to think about what would happen once Slade's hand was gripped around his collar again.

"You have ten seconds to get down here until I press the button and kill your friends." Slade called up to him.

Robin froze. He had completely forgotten about that. With all of the horrible things that were happing, the very reason he was doing this had slipped away from him. He heard Slade beginning to count down and let out a shaky sigh. Trembling, he stood and dropped to the floor as silent as Batman. Then, with one last deep breath, he returned to Slade's side.

"Very good, pet." Slade said, and Robin could sense the smirk that had formed beneath the man's mask. "However, you were still disobedient. You shall be punished tonight."

Robin's breath was stolen by those words. No, please no. Not again, never again. His ears never registered the snickers that built a wall around him. It was just him and Slade, all by themselves.

"These daily disruptions need to stop." Slade hissed in his ear. "Be thankful that I allow you to eat at all."

Robin bowed his head and nodded, slowly following Slade out of the cafeteria without a second thought.

"Please, please, please." Robin begged. He was back in Slade's bedroom for a second time, only now he had been physically dragged there. He was once more chained to the bed by his collar, though Slade had decided to keep his hands free. The teen wasn't sure whether this was a good or bad thing.

"Quiet now, pet. Begging doesn't suit you." Slade replied easily. He surveyed the naked young boy on his bed with a greedy satisfaction. His skin weaved from the finest of silks and his dark hair, made of the highest quality ink. Then there were those two blue diamonds that shone from unshed tears of fright. Quite a treasure indeed. He stepped forward and ran a hand through the floppy, soft mess of hair on the boy's head, stroking him like a cat. Perhaps if he could calm him down then Robin would be more willing to cooperate.

Slade had spent a long part of the afternoon reflecting on Robin's actions during lunch. He was terrified, which was good, but it did no good if he chose to run instead of submitting to him. It was hard to believe that he even found himself pitying the boy. He needed a new approach. Raping the child had probably been a wrong move on his behalf, no matter how delicious it was. He had blindly run into the challenge, and now he was regretting it. It shamed him to admit it, but perhaps he could even take a few notes from the sorcerer's apprentice that had tricked him into outing himself. Perhaps trust and security was the only way to loyalty. Fear and intimidation obviously didn't seem to be working too well.

This notion was proved when Robin bowed his head and began to sob, curling himself into as tight of a ball as he could manage. With his mask tossed carelessly onto the floor, tears cascaded freely down his cheeks. They slipped down his jaw and dripped off of his chin and hit his knees to continue their journey. Slade returned his hand to Robin's hair and as gently as he could manage, began to stroke it. He didn't bother to take his clothing off. It wouldn't be necessary anymore. Snatching the boy's tiny black boxers from the heap of clothes on the floor, he sat down on the bed. Without a word, he grabbed ahold of Robin's ankle, making the boy flinch. He rubbed an ungloved hand over his quivering shin, petting him into calmness. Once the boy had stopped his struggling, he slipped the boxers through his feet and tugged them up over his legs and snapped them at his waist.

Robin slowly looked up at him in surprise, his eyes a painting of confusion and disbelief. That was it? No hitting or bruising? No unwanted kisses to slither into his mouth? No ripping his body in two? This had to be a trick. Slade trying to relax him and then fuck him into the mattress once his guard was down. He wouldn't fall for it. He stiffened as a soft blanket was wrapped around his shoulders and he slowly gripped the fabric, bringing it closer around his bare arms.

"There is no reason to be scared, Robin. I won't be touching you like that again." He said as he got up. Then he stopped and turned to look at the boy one last time. "Unless you want me to."

Robin watched with wide eyes as the man stood and left him alone in the bedroom. What had just happened? This wasn't supposed to be how it went. Slade was supposed to rape him…make him suffer until he wished for death. How could he just leave? After the shit he had gone through, he couldn't just leave! Not that he was complaining, he was just so confused. He didn't know what to do anymore. He tried to slip out of bed, only to be tugged back by his collar, still chained to the bed. Maybe he was right to be suspicious. Slade wouldn't just forget to unlock him. He wanted him to stay put. The teen closed his eyes and sighed in exhaustion. He didn't know what was going on anymore. Lying down in defeat, he tugged the covers up to his chin and rested his head on the pillow, inhaling Slade's scent: musky and manly. A confusing twinge made itself known in his chest, but Robin chose to ignore it as he let himself doze.


	10. Chapter 10

"Alright, get your desks in a circle, we're having a class discussion." Mr. Lynch announced.

Five days. It had been five days since Slade had touched him outside of combat. It had been five days since he had said anything about…that night. Five days since he'd publicly humiliated the teen, or fought with him in the cafeteria.

Five days since Robin had been able to sleep.

The boy was falling apart internally. Everybody could see it. He was pale and thin with gigantic gray bags under his eyes like a zombie and his hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in days. He was the man in bed, waiting every night for the other shoe to drop. He was a prisoner awaiting execution. It was absolutely inevitable. Slade would be coming after him in due time. How could he possibly sleep or eat with that sword hanging over his head?

Robin tiredly opened his eyes and tugged his desk into a circle, taking his seat and burying his face in his arms. He didn't give a fuck about Gotham's most influential super villains. He was almost certain that Mr. Lynch was bringing it up just to piss him off. He had assigned each of them a Gotham villain to research and write an essay about, arguing why or why not they were the most influential and including evidence to support their opinion. Robin thought it was a waste of time. His five years in Gotham fighting beside Batman was evidence enough that no villain deserved to be recognized for anything other than being the worst people on Earth.

A throat being cleared loudly made Robin look up and he found that everybody was looking at him. "What?" He sighed. He had gotten over being respectful to the teachers here pretty quickly.

"Please try to pay attention. We are not all so fortunate to have come face to face with Gotham's finest." Mr. Lynch scolded and Robin rolled his eyes from beneath his mask. He sighed, pulling out his report on Mister Freeze and slapped it on the table, zoning out while others went on and on and on. Scarecrow this, Penguin that. Joker, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Riddler, Two-face, Bane, Clayface, Harley Quinn…it went on and on and on until Robin was falling asleep once more. Class was really the only place he felt safe to sleep anymore. He figured Slade wouldn't do anything to him surrounded by everyone.

"Robin!" Mr. Lynch snapped sharply and Robin quickly lifted his head. "Read your report on Mister Freeze."

Robin sighed and looked down at his paper, half-heartedly reading his paper. He didn't agree with a single word he had said, of course, but it didn't matter what he thought. It gave him good grades that Slade wouldn't punish him for. Once he was finished, he sat back again and stared at the teacher.

"Very nice, Robin." Mr. Lynch.

"I disagree." Jinx immediately spoke up.

"And I don't care." Robin muttered under his breath.

"The Joker is obviously the most influential. He's created a sense of fear all over Gotham that even the Batman can't prevent. He's escaped from Gotham hundreds of times and he's got one of the highest killing counts in the history of Gotham." She stated with an air of superiority.

"Do you argue, Robin?" Lynch asked him.

"No." Robin replied dully.

"Let me rephrase that. Defend your opinion." Lynch replied.

"I don't have to. She's right." Robin replied.

"Enough! You may have been Batman's partner, but that doesn't make you any better than us. You're just a cocky little boy whose  _partner_ doesn't even care about enough to come looking for him." Lynch snapped.

Robin's eyes narrowed and he stood up. "You want my opinion? Fine. This is bullshit. You, Slade, everyone in this room, this whole fucking school is total bullshit!" He snapped. "You want to get my opinion about the Joker? Go tie yourself on a metal table and ask him to torture you with knives. Go throw yourself onto a pile of his mutilated victims.  _There's your fucking opinion!_ "

The class went silent.

Robin got detention.

Slade found out right away, of course, but much to Robin's surprise, he didn't say a single word about it during lunch. Robin kept waiting for a beating, a threat, anything, but it never ever came. It drove Robin crazy.

_Waiting for the shoe to drop…_

And then it was time for training, which managed to ease Robin's constantly racing heart for a little bit. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, bending backwards on the balance beam and gracefully pushing his feet into the air. His chest rose in time to his heart beat and the extra noise around him seemed to disappear. His arms quivered a little to maintain balance until every muscle was taught and steady. Slowly, he separated his legs into a split. His concentration was undivided.

Robin was the only boy in the gymnastics area. All of the boys loyally worked out in the weight room every day and even though Slade had urged him to gain muscle, he felt much more comfortable practicing his old drills. It was calming.

He carefully got off of the beam and walked over to the trapeze ladder, climbing all the way to the top. He turned around and glanced down. It reminded him of performing in the circus, being so high above everyone else that they looked like ants. He sighed and chalked up his hands before grabbing onto the first bar and taking a deep breath.

"Hey!"

Robin glanced down to find a group of girls standing around the base of the ladder. He noticed Jinx's unmistakable pink hair.

"Are you crazy? Are you trying to kill yourself? The net isn't up! You can't use the trapeze!" One of the girls shouted up to him. "You'll die!"

Robin chuckled grimly to himself at the irony. "Oh well!" He shouted back and jumped off of the ledge, swinging through the air like Tarzan. He spotted the next trapeze bar below him. Satisfaction filled him to hear the squealing, startled gasps of the girls when he flipped into the air and freefell straight through the two wires suspending the bar. At the last second, the tops of his feet hooked onto the trapeze and swung him forward allowing him to grasp the third trapeze. It felt wonderful, to be so high up again. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and air rushed up in his face as he rose and fell. He felt alive.

However, the gasps and squealing suddenly stopped and it was replaced with silence. Confused, Robin sped up so that he could get to the other ledge and see what was going on. The last trapeze was a little far, but with a lot of focus he was fairly certain he could make it. Counting to three, he swung forward and let go.

"ROBIN!"

Hearing Slade's sharp voice, Robin faltered in the air and after a moment's distraction, he glanced over at the bar. Panic pierced his heart as he watched the bar swing away from him and gravity seemed to grab onto him and pull him down in slow motion. A stupid mistake, and now he was dead. For a split second as he stared up at the ledge he saw himself in his sharp red costume, watching in horror as his own parents fell to their deaths. How ironically perfect.

He closed his eyes as tears dripped down his face and he hugged himself tightly, taking short gasping breaths. He was falling on his back, his legs up and level with his face in an almost relaxed fetal position. The seconds passed like years and his muscles tensed, preparing for impact with the matted floor. Though it would feel much more like cement at his velocity. His heart pounded like a big bass drum.

He hit.

No, not the floor. He wasn't sure what. It was sturdy and secure, but at the same time he felt cradled. Gasps bubbled up into small sobs and fresh tears dampened his mask. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked up, coming face with Slade's black and orange mask. Everyone was speechless, seeing as they had almost witnessed Robin's death, and the girl's immediately began to whisper amongst each other.

"Stupid. You should always use a net." Slade scolded. "You of all people should have learned that by now."

Robin didn't say a word as their gazes stayed glued to one another. The teen took a single trembling hand and gripped the material of Slade's suit as if afraid he would fall again. He panted, his entire body shaking at the near-death experience he'd just had. Sure, he'd been in tons of those, but there was something different about this one. It was…personal and tragic. Robin's stomach lurched. "I think I'm going to be sick." He choked out.

"Can you walk?" Slade asked calmly, not even fazed by the idea of getting puked on.

Robin shook his head quickly and without a word, Slade carried him into the locker room and over to the bathroom stall. The young hero expected him to go away then, or at least leave the stall, but instead he knelt down and steadied the smaller boy, stroking the top of his head. Robin shivered, regardless of the warm temperature of the locker room and he couldn't hold back a few miserable whimpers.

"Just let it out." Slade coaxed into his ear. "You'll feel much better."

Robin took a few shaky breaths before heaving forward and throwing up into the disgustingly filthy toilet, which simply made him want to vomit even more. He got it done quickly before leaning back against Slade who wiped his mouth with one of the rough towels from beside the bathroom sink and flushed the toilet before scooping Robin into his arms.

"I think you're finished for today." Slade stated. He cradled the weary Titan in his arms, his bicep supporting his head. All the way to his own bedroom he walked, then set Robin onto his bed. "Stay here. I'm going to get you some clothing to wear. You may take a shower if you like."

Slade left the room and Robin stared at the ceiling with all new dread in the pit of his stomach. This was it. The second shoe was finally going to fall after a week of waiting.

Slade didn't return to the room until dinner had ended. When Robin came out of the bathroom after his shower, he found not only clean clothes waiting for him, but his schoolwork and the remote to the tv as well. He settled down on Slade's bed and did his school work with the television providing a calming bit of background noise. The only media he had heard in the past two weeks were the explosions coming from Gizmo's damn video games and it was kind of felt like being back at the tower. At seven, Slade entered the room with a plate of chicken and potatoes for Robin with some tomatoes cut up on the side. He set it down on the bedside table. The boy flinched when he got too close and Slade immediately took note of the behavior. He stepped back to give Robin some space and took a seat at his desk.

Robin glanced nervously at Slade before slowly pushing his books aside and accepting the plate. He never took his eyes off of Slade as he took tiny, half-hearted bites of food, fidgeting uncomfortably under the man's gaze. He could only bring himself to eat half before nausea overtook his nerves and fear ate away at his appetite. Once he had finished, he set the plate aside and looked over at Slade, but the man did and said nothing, continuing to simply observe. Robin willed himself not to let it bother him and returned to his school work. That only lasted about a minute. He couldn't focus with Slade's gaze burning into his skin.

"Just do it already!" Robin burst.

"I'm sorry?" Slade asked curiously.

"If you're going to rape me again, just do it!" He cried as pent up tears started dripping down his cheeks. "Waiting for you to make your next move is driving me insane and I don't want to live waiting for the other shoe to drop!"

Then Slade did something Robin would have never expected. He began to chuckle. Getting up, he walked over to Robin and petted his hair. "I don't think you understand, boy. I won't be forcing you into sex ever again. Doing it in the first place was my mistake." And with that, he pulled out the key to the collar that Robin hadn't been able to remove since that horrible night and gently unlocked it. He stroked the sensitive skin of Robin's neck before taking his plate and leaving the room.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Robin woke up in Slade's bed the next morning, his legs tangled up in the sheets. Slade wasn't there, but from the looks of the bed, he had slept there for a little while. Robin yawned and slipped out of bed, rubbing his maskless eyes. The room was quiet and outside he could faintly hear the sound of students rushing to the cafeteria for the pancakes and French toast that was served every Saturday morning. Stretching, the young hero shuffled over to the door, but hesitated. He wanted to head back to his own room and change, but he couldn't just leave the room in his underwear. Robin knew that he was being petty. He had walked down those halls naked and covered in vomit before. But that was different, that hadn't been his choice. Looking around the room, Robin found a bathrobe that had been thrown over Slade's desk chair and sighed. That would have to do. He would hurry back to his dorm and change, then return the bathrobe before Slade even noticed it was gone. Robin picked up the robe and slipped it on, tying it as tight as he could around his waist. He was practically drowning in the garment and the extra fabric bunched around his waist and hid his arms completely. Once he had located his mask and pressed it to his face, he opened the door and stepped out.

The passing students stopped to stare at him and their chatter ceased. Robin did his best to pretend that he didn't notice, but it was pretty hard when he could feel their eyes burning holes into him. He suddenly wished that the robe was even bigger for him to hide in. Suddenly, the clacking of shoes echoed in the hall and when Robin glanced up to see who it was, he immediately wished he hadn't.

"Why hello, Robin. Have a fun night with Slade?" Kaine smiled as he took in the boy's attire.

"Stop making assumptions." Robin growled. "And anyway, it's none of your business."

Kaine chuckled. "How'd it feel, Robin. Did he tie you up? I bet he did. Tied you up and listened to your screams as he slammed into your-

"Shut up!" Robin snarled. "Just shut the fuck up!"

"Aw, poor thing. Little faggot whore." Kaine spat.

"Are you jealous or something? You seem pretty hung up on this." Robin snapped. "Or do you just get off on sexual sadism?"

Kaine chuckled and ran a finger over the fading bruises on Robin's jaw. "I'm a villain, aren't I? "

"You're sick." Robin replied. "This whole school is sick."

"Really?" Someone from the crowd spoke up. "'Cause I don't recall ever fantasizing about sucking Kaine's cock." He boy stated with a smug smirk as laughter arose.

Robin reddened in humiliation and anger and for once, he actually found himself wishing that Slade would come and save him from this horrible situation.

"I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you, fag?" Another boy spoke up. "To get your ass fucked by all the guys here while sucking their cocks. "

Robin allowed his hair to fall in his face as a storm of crude slurs and vulgar comments rained down on him, making him shrink. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the door, waiting for it to end. When it finally stopped, Robin figured that they had grown bored and left. What he did not expect to see was a few of the girls from gymnastics yesterday standing in the middle of things.

"Can you just cut him some slack for one day? God, you guys are so obsessed with him we're starting to think you're all fairies too." One girl stated. "You think he likes being Slade's pet? Yea right. How would you feel if you were the one in that monster's bed?"

With all of the attention on her, Robin slipped back into Slade's room and locked the door. There was obviously no way he was getting back to his own dorm with that mob of homophobes outside. He'd just have to wait until they had all gone to breakfast and the hallways were clear. He scuffled back into bed and selected some homework to work on while he waited, but after a few moments, he let out a sigh and set the papers aside in favor of watching Saturday morning cartoons just like he and Beast Boy and Cyborg used to watch.

Robin gave it fifteen minutes before killing the TV and cautiously opening the door. He peered out, relieved to find it empty and took off sprinting down the hall to his dorm. He cursed when he found it locked and urgently pounded on the door. He prayed somebody was still there. He really didn't want to get caught alone in the hallway again.

His prayers were answered when Seemore opened the door and Robin quickly ducked inside without a word. He gathered his clothes and headed towards the bathroom, but to his dismay, it was already occupied.

"Have a nice night with Slade?" Gizmo cackled from the couch. He frowned when the boy wonder ignored him completely.

Robin unknotted the belt of Slade's robe and quickly shed that and his shirt. He was beyond skinny, yes, yes, he already knew that. And of course there were bruises. How could there not be? But right now, he wasn't in the mood to hear about their surprise. He didn't want their satisfaction or their pity or whatever else anyone in this school had to offer. He just wanted to go home. He dressed in Slade's mandated uniform and once Mammoth had left the bathroom, he made quick work of gelling his hair. Without a word to anyone, he left the room. Without the collar around his neck. With weapons on his hip. With his mask and his gel and everything else, he felt stronger. He wasn't some pretty young boy that some malicious old man could take advantage of. He wasn't a weak little twink to be fucked and beaten. He had pride and dignity and self-respect and goals. He had almost let that slip from him. It was strong versus the weak. Dick versus Robin.

He kept his head high as he walked into the cafeteria and walked in line, grabbing the first chocolate chip pancakes he could spot. Fuck Slade's diet. He was fifteen and he was going to eat whatever the hell he wanted to eat. As usual, he felt all eyes on him but he didn't react, taking a seat beside Slade and sipping his water. To his mild surprise, the criminal didn't even mention the pancakes and went on with eating his own breakfast consisting of egg whites and what Robin believed to be slices of Canadian bacon. Robin said nothing to no one and silently ate his own breakfast before getting up and walking back to his dorm to have some time to himself for once. Sure, he'd been alone tons in Slade's room, but that was different. How could he relax in a lion's den? Robin flopped down on the couch in the room and sat there for a few minutes, just allowing himself to breathe before turning on the television. He sighed. This was how he used to spend his Saturdays. Just him and Beast Boy and Cyborg and Starfire and Raven. Where everybody was nice and nobody got raped or hung from ceilings by chains or outed through magic and manipulation. That's Titans tower.

Eventually, watching TV got boring and Robin stood up, trying to think of what he should do. His homework was done for the most part and he had already completed his training hours for the week. He didn't have combat training with Slade today either. He sighed and considered his options. Extra training, library, or just waist the day watching television. Robin lifted his head and stood up. He walked over to his dresser and rummaged around until he found what he was looking for. Grabbing his bag, Robin stuffed his swim trunks and reflective goggles into it and left the room. He was in the mood for a swim.

Thankfully, the locker room was empty when he arrived, seeing as most students preferred to just be lazy on Saturday. Hard work was for Sunday. Robin slipped inside and over to his locker where he wasted no time stripping and slipping into his trunks. He made sure nobody was looking before exchanging his mask for the reflective goggles and grabbed a towel, padding out to the pool on bare feet. It was peacefully silent and the water was completely still with not even a single ripple to disrupt its serenity. A sense of eagerness pushed its way into Robin and he wasted no time getting over to the diving well. He carefully walked over to the edge and counted to three before diving in. Freezing water rushed at him from all around and he opened his eyes. He was surrounded by dark blue and the silence was magnificent. He was truly alone under there. Of course, he wasn't Aqualad so he had to come up eventually and when he did, cool air rushed to his face and shoulders. He hummed contently and swam back over to the edge. Again.

He didn't shower in the locker room. That was too risky. Instead, he dressed and made his way back to his dorm. When he came out of the bathroom, his three roommates were back to their video games and they didn't bother acknowledging him. It was better that way. He changed into pajamas and lied down in his own bed for the first time in over twenty four hours and sighed. Swimming had left him tired. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just take a quick nap.

"Robin."

Of course. No rest for the wicked.

Robin sighed and looked up at Slade's mask. "Yes?" Behind him the gaming had stopped and the three boys had turned to watch with interest.

"Your things are still in my room and I would like my robe returned. Come with me." He requested. "No, don't bother changing, just keep your pajamas on."

Robin stepped away from his dresser and gathered up Slade's large robe in his arms before following Slade back to his own room. It was just the way he had left it this morning, even the bed remained unmade. His school books stayed in their stack on the night stand and his hold uniform was still in a bundle by the laundry basket. He stepped forward and returned the bathrobe to his spot. Then he got to work gathering his school supplies and dropping it all into his bag.

"Are you alright, Robin? I was told that you were being bothered in the hallway this morning." Slade stated. "Did anybody hurt you?"

Robin shook his head and he stuffed his books into his bag. "Just immature comments." He mumbled softly. "It's fine." The room went silent and Robin relayed the response in his head.  _It's fine…_  No, that was wrong. Rape and homophobia and verbal abuse was far from fine and while Dick may have lied down and taken it, Robin's pride was far too strong to stand for it.

"It's not okay!" He yelled, getting to his feet. "Those disgusting , sadistic teenagers think it's okay but it's not! They whisper and taunt and send me those ugly smirks as if I wanted it! Because I'm gay so why wouldn't I want to be raped and beaten by some horrible monster who thinks it's okay too?"

Slade looked up, slightly surprised by the outburst. He stepped forward and placed an arm on Robin's shoulder but the boy smacked it away and backed up.

"I'm a fifteen year old boy and now, I don't even know what the hell I am!" Robin screamed. He ripped off his mask and looked directly at Slade's eye. Tears spilled and he started to shake. "I'm so afraid."

"Robin, I already told you-

"I know what you told me! You've told me a lot of things! Why the hell should I believe anything you say? How do I know that you won't tie me to that bed again and make me feel so dirty and humiliated that even walking around naked in blood and cum and puke makes me feel nothing but dull pain?" Robin cried out. His shoulders shuddered and he sat down on the bed, bringing his knees to his chest so that he could cry with at least a little bit of privacy.

Slade stepped over and stroked his hair as he cried. "I was wrong, Robin. I made a mistake." His eyes flickered down. "And mistakes are unacceptable."

 


	12. Chapter 12

Robin decided for himself that it was best to lay low for the rest of the weekend. After his outburst, the hero silently gathered up his things and fled the room without looking back. There was a long moment of silence as he walked down the halls, all sound blocked out by his thoughts . Even now, he was beyond confused. Slade raped him; but said it was a mistake. He tortures him; yet acts as if he cares about his apprentice being harassed by other students. The man was truly and enigma. He slipped past his roommates and locked himself in the privacy of the bathroom. Leaning against the bathroom door, he allowed himself to slide to the floor.

" Holy horse feathers, Batman." He sighed tiredly. He crossed his legs and let his head fall back against the door, staring blankly at the bathtub across from him. He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but by the time he was willing to move again, he had made up his mind that a long, hot bath was in order. Of course, like everything he'd ever wanted in his life, he was going to have to the hard work first . There was no way he was going to shower let alone soak in what Robin could only describe as Satan's shower drain.

He broke it down to every little disgusting factor:

Strands of Mammoth's long red hair stuck to the tiled walls and sides of the bathtub in dark, squiggly strings. It wrapped around the soap and appeared to have plastered itself to every bottle of shampoo and body wash. Rusted razors sat dangerously on the edges of the tub, clogged with the large criminal's thick fur. It seemed to spout from the drain like some creature had gotten stuck down there and was now trying to crawl out.

S oap scum was caked onto everything creating a white film over the mirrors and the tiles, which had probably once been perfectly white, while now they were a dingy, yellowish gray color. It crowded like mold in every nook and cranny, and Robin nearly gagged, unsure if the substance was just soap.

The floor of the tub, once bright and sparkling, was now grimy and black with dirt and scum. He could roll around in the sewers and still be cleaner than if he bathed in that tub. It was a health hazard.

Sighing tiredly, Robin reached under the sink for the bathtub cleaner and a sponge. He was thankful for the detachable shower head that allowed him to wash away all of dead hair off of the sides and down the drain. Of course, once that had been accomplished, he still had to tug on some gloves and try not to barf while tugging out the giant hairball that had accumulated in the drain. He disposed of it quickly and got to work scrubbing the grit and grime from the tubs interior. It was hard, sweaty, dirty, gruesome work and by the time the tub was back to looking (and smelling) the way it was on his first day at Hive Academy, Robin was hot, tired, and his muscles ached something fierce. That didn't matter though. The tub was clean enough to eat off of.

H e hunted down the plug and made sure that was clean as well before filling the tub with hot water…and some bubble bath he may have snagged from the very back of the supply closet in the students' wing. He applied a generous amount and watched eagerly as foamy, white suds formed, completely covering the surface of the water. Steam rose from the heat of the water, making Robin even more impatient. As the water level rose and more suds formed, Robin stripped, letting his pajamas drop to the floor in a crumpled heap. Then he peeled off his mask and rested it on the counter next to the sink. He inspected his body in the mirror. Still short, still petit, still pale. A little thinner than when he had first arrived; he could make out his ribcage. And his body was now littered with bruises and scars. He didn't bother trying to catch a peek at his back. That word was still there, and it always would be. He decided to keep his mask on, always playing it safe, and once the tub was full, he carefully and slowly stepped in.

Robin let out a hiss as the water consumed his feet and burned through his skin. He tried to be patient and adjust, but he just couldn't wait any longer, cringing a little as he slowly sat in the tub. The heat made his entire body flush bright pink. Finally, the hot water began to soak his tired, aching muscles and he let out a blissful groan as he let his head fall back against the tiled wall. Shutting his eyes, he sighed and sank in deeper until his entire body was underwater, except for the top of kneecaps, which poked out of the water through the suds. It wasn't like he needed to wash, seeing as he'd just showered a little while ago, but it'd been a while since he'd had time to relax and melt away some stress.

He almost dozed off several times, but made sure to stay awake. It would be mortifying if he fell asleep and somebody broke into the bathroom to see why he wasn't responding. Well, he needed to think of something to do while he still had some privacy and hot bath water. Once it cooled, there was really no reason to stay in. Robin sat completely still, listening carefully to make sure nothing suspicious or alarming was happening outside the bathroom door. He checked the door to reassure himself that was locked and took a deep breath before slowly, slowly, reaching a hand under the water to lightly stroke his penis. His breath hitched a little and he allowed himself to relax as he lazily began to pump his cock. Closing his eyes, he pretended that the hand belonged to that one fighter that Cyborg and Starfire liked to watch on boxing shows. The one with the large, rippling muscles and scruffy features. If there was one thing Robin could admit to, it was having a type.

He let out a soft moan and brought his other hand to his chest, teasingly pinching and twerking his nipples. His back arched and he hummed contently, licking his lips. Leaving his chest alone for the moment, he slipped a finger, then two into his mouth and sucked, doing his best to imagine that it was the fighter's cock. He slowly pulled them out and ran the wet fingers down his stomach and into the water. Still jerking off, he pressed his index finger against his tight ring of muscle. He pushed it in and bit his lip at the intrusion. It was a bit uncomfortable. He could admit that. Pumping the finger in and out a little, he began to adjust and tried slipping in a second finger. He whimpered a little at the stretch, picturing the fighter's fingers pumping in at out of him while pumping his leaking cock. A third finger went in and this time he hissed a little. It had been a very long time since he'd done this.

A moan escaped his throat as he pushed in as far as he could and the tip of his middle finger brushed his prostate. Eyes squeezed tight, he quickened his actions, frantically fucking himself on his fingers and squeezing his cock a little bit tighter as he imagined the fighter, his sweaty, masculine scent dripping over him as his fingers sped up, touching his prostate almost every time now. His breath began to hitch a nd short moans started to tear from his mouth, only to be interrupted by pleasured whimpers and blissful mewls. As warmth settled in the pit of his stomach, his moans became higher in octave and breathier. As he came, black and orange invaded his senses, a single eye staring him down. Robin gasped and his eyes snapped open as hot seed spurted out of him and settled in the bath water. His heart pounded and he stared at the wall with a look of horror on his face.

He had just come. He'd orgasmed to the thought of Slade. That couldn't be. It wasn't possible. How had such a terrible person come to mind at such a pleasurable, erotic moment? Such a private moment.

It had to be a mistake.

Robin unplugged the drain and quickly stepped out, drying his hair off with a towel before wrapping it around his waist with a shiver. Well that had been a waste of a perfectly good orgasm. Once his face was dry, Robin pressed his mask back onto his face. He glanced over at his pajamas and sighed, wishing he had thought to hang them up or something instead of leaving them on the dirty floor. He bundled them up and counted to three before exiting the bathroom, a wave of humidity following him out. The coldness of the room made him shiver and he tried not to look at the others as he walked over to his dresser. Shame filled him and he found himself blushing as he tugged boxers on and dropped his towel. Did they know? Had they heard him? His face turned positively red at the idea that they had heard his whorish moans. What if he'd said Slade's name? He wanted to die. However, the boys were mentioning anything, so maybe they didn't know after all. Either way, he was treading on thin ice.

He stepped into a clean pair of pants and tugged them up, then yanked on a plain t-shirt.

"Dammit!"

Mammoth's outburst tugged his attention towards the screen and he was slightly surprised to see a familiar image. It was the racing game that he, Beast Boy and Cyborg always used to play. Hmmm.

"Ha! In your face crud-sniffer!" Gizmo gloated, jumping up and down in his seat. "There's no way you can beat me. I'm a champion."

"You little brat!" Mammoth growled.

"Have you tried using the sonic blaster?" Robin spoke up on a whim of stupidity.

"What?" Seemore asked. He looked up, almost as if surprised to find that Robin was talking on his own accord.

"The sonic blaster. Do you know the cheat code?" Robin asked.

"What! There's no cheat code! What do you know about video games anyway?" Gizmo sneered.

Robin stiffened. "Enough to know that Mammoth could kick your ass in less than a minute." He retorted.

"Please." Gizmo scoffed. "Go suck a cock or something."

Robin's face burned with anger. "I bet I could beat you even if you had a five second head start."

Gizmo snorted, but his eyebrow lifted in curiosity. "What would I get if I win?"

"What do you want?" Robin asked with a shrug.

Gizmo thought it over. "What do you think, guys?"

"I say we make him our slave." Mammoth said.

"Nah, we should make him steal for us." Seemore said.

"No wait! I've got a better idea. I can't wait for Jinx to hear it." Gizmo cackled and a sinister grin spread over his face. "If I win, you have to wear girl's clothes ever Saturday for a month and you have to talk with a lisp and flirt with every guy you see for an entire day."

Robin's eyebrows shot up and his face turned pink as the other two villains began to laugh. "Fine." He said confidently. "Then if I win, you make everybody stop bullying me, including yourselves. I also demand that the bathroom's cleanliness be maintained and every Saturday and Sunday night I get the television to myself."

"Pfft, boring enough for you?" Gizmo asked. "But fine, we have a deal." His smirk returned as he reached his hand out, which Robin shook firmly. "Let's start."

Seemore and Mammoth quickly made room on the couch for Robin to sit, though not much and a controller was unceremoniously thrust into his hands. It was just like the ones that they used in Titans Tower. Perfect.

"Ready?" Gizmo sneered.

"Press the button." Robin ordered with a cocky smirk. The game started and he waited the five seconds before taking off and soon enough he was leaving Gizmo in the dust. It didn't take long for the boy to catch up, but Robin did his best to keep Gizmo from passing, making the boy growl in irritation. The game was intense, he wasn't going to lie. Gizmo was way better than Beast Boy and could probably even beat Cyborg. Maybe he shouldn't have just jumped into the bet without considering the consequences. Oh well, too late now. His only option was to win. He waited until three quarters of the race was finished before releasing his secret weapon.

Up down up left X down B right up.

He smirked in satisfaction as a large sonic blaster appeared on his vehicle and he chuckled smugly. The sonic blaster went off, completely and utterly destroying Gizmo racecar and sending him crashing off of the road. Gizmo's eyes nearly popped out of his head and he frantically struggled to gain control of his beat up crafter, surviving by nothing more than a few scraps of computerized metal.

"No way." Mammoth gaped.

"No! I won't let you win!" Gizmo snarled. Cackling evilly, he pulled a small device out of his pocket and hooked it up to the game console. Sparks flew up and consumed Robin's console, making the boy gasp and drop it in surprise as if it burned to the touch. The diversion gave Gizmo enough time to sort out his craft and speed past Robin, who was standing still and right over the finish line, giggling evilly. "Looks like I won!" He jeered smugly.

"You…you cheated!" Robin snapped.

"So did you!" Seemore replied cockily. "Was that not a game cheat that you used?"

Robin's face fell. He was in deep shit.

 


	13. Chapter 13

"Get out here already!" Gizmo yelled.

It was October sixth, the first Saturday of the month. The first day of Robin's humiliation. Here he was, locked inside a supply closet while a huge crowd of students waited outside for him. After losing the bet, Robin had immediately refused to go through with the deal. Unfortunately for the young hero, his three roommates had taken the matter to Slade himself. Much to Robin's mortification, the man had taken their side and forced him to keep his promise. Frankly, Robin just thought he was an old pervert who wanted to see him in a skirt. At least the three hadn't cashed in their second part of the deal yet. A day of gay stereotyping was going to be a special type of hell.

"Calm your tits!" Robin shouted back. He usually wasn't so crude with his language, but considering he was about to get publicly humiliated, he wasn't in that great of a mood.

"Either you come out, or we're breaking in!" Jinx replied. Of course, she had been let in on their little wager. How else would they get the clothes?

"Yea!" Seemore laughed. "Just come out of the closet already!"

Robin rolled his eyes. Like he'd never heard that one before. He sighed and took a deep breath, preparing to make an absolute fool of himself. He just had to think of worse situations. He could be in an orphanage or foster home somewhere. He could be in private school getting gay bashed by snotty rich kids. He could be getting sexually destroyed by Slade. For some reason, the second one actually sounded a bit nicer.

"You have until the count of three!" Gizmo told him. "One! Two! Thr-

"Alright! Alright! Jesus Christ!" Robin snapped irritably. With a slight hesitation, he opened the door and stepped out, sidling against the wall. A huge gasp took over the crowd along with a few whistles and catcalls that made him blush something fierce.

He was wearing one of Jinx's dresses. The witchy purple thing hugged his thin frame, though was a bit snug at the hips . He hoped it was supposed to be like that. He was also g iven a pair of her boots, seeing is own shoes did not go with the dress at all. Cross-dressing or no, he still strived to look nice. However, being the complete assholes that they were, he was not given any tights so his bare legs were left to sprout out of the short skirt. Wonderful. Because of his mask, he wasn't obligated to wear any make-up, but his hair had been ungelled and straightened with a purple bow clipped to the side. He looked like an idiot.

"Happy?" He asked roughly.

"Very!" Gizmo squeaked as he fell to the ground laughing. All of the boys, they were all laughing at him. Jeering and whistling and shouting so many inappropriate things that Robin wanted to burrow under the floor boards and hide. However…the girls present weren't laughing all that much. In fact, they didn't look very happy at all. He glanced over at Jinx and was surprised to find that she was rather angry about something. What it was, was far beyond him. Here he was on a silver platter in the most humiliating, compromising situation ever and she wasn't even enjoying it! Something was definitely off. He was a little thankful for it. This distraction provided him a little relief from the onslaught of teenage cruelty that was being hurled at him in the form of verbal and somewhat sexual harassment. Unfortunately, it didn't last long and soon enough he was bowing his head in embarrassment.

"I think it's time we got some breakfast, don't you, Robin?" Seemore giggled. Before the hero even had time to respond, Mammoth's strong hands roughly shoved him down the hall. He tripped and stumbled in the high-wedged boots, letting out a small shriek when somebody took the opportunity to lift the back of his skirt and smack his ass sharply. He whirled around and pressed his hands to his bottom, his face throbbing with all of the blood that was rushing to it. That was all it took to get him speeding down the hall towards the cafeteria.

Dread and relief fought for dominance inside of him as he approached the cafeteria where he knew for a fact, Slade would be enjoying his own breakfast. Sure, the man was a good safe spot for relief from the constant bullying he faced day to day. However, he wasn't quite sure how trustworthy the man could be while he was in such a…unique outfit. The last thing he needed was Slade trying to rape him again. Even if he had apologized and promised to never do it again. Alfred had always said that skirts can alter a man's logic. This skirt in particular seemed to feel shorter on him than looked on Jinx. He couldn't wear boxers, so he'd been forced to go full tranny, panties and all. It was extremely uncomfortable and there were so many drafts that he knew he should have just gone commando. However, when with Slade, he'd like to keep some sort of barrier up no matter how flimsy.

As expected, chatter ceased as he entered the cafeteria and he paused at the door, completely forgetting what he was doing here in the first place. Hundreds of eyes stared him down and he shifted shyly. What if his skirt was too short? What if he looked fat? Were his legs too masculine? It wasn't like they were hairy. He had just shaved them. He sighed, forcing some sense back into his brain. Of course they were staring at him! Idiot! He was in a dress for Christ's sake! He just had to pretend that he didn't notice. That he liked wearing it and that he thought he looked fucking fabulous. Sure, okay.

Keeping his head up, he strutted his way to the breakfast line and picked up some egg whites and slices of Canadian bacon with two triangles of toast. A water bottle for a later, and some orange juice to accompany his meal. Finally, he grabbed a bag of green grapes and some silverware before heading over to the table where Slade sat. At first, Slade didn't even acknowledge his presence and Robin wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He simply carried on with his breakfast, feeding food through the whole in that damn leather mask he wore during meals. It made Robin wonder if Slade actually wore that mask under his normal mask. Talk about dedicated.

It wasn't until breakfast had ended that Slade made any sign of noticing the wardrobe change. As they stood, Slade looked him up in down, his single eye scrutinizing and criticizing every piece of his being. It made Robin shiver. He felt slimy and dirty. The skirt was suddenly much too short, the dress too tight, the bow in his hair too saucy. He knew he was being ridiculous, but was he? It was all too possible that the dress had been altered. Maybe even to Slade's specifications! What if this entire thing had been a set up by Slade? A conspiracy against him to fulfill the fantasies of some perverted psychopath with a taste for young boys? That moment in the bathtub ached in the back of his memory and he felt his whole body starting to flush.

He took a deep breath. Now he really was being ridiculous. It was just some paranoia and unnecessary overreacting. He was the one who had initiated the bet in the first place by challenging Gizmo to that video game. Slade hadn't been any part of it until Robin had tried to back out and the other boys had gotten him involved. He had nothing to do with it. He was just somebody else who was going to stare. Slade…Slade had promised him. He had made a mistake. That's what he said. Mistakes are unacceptable.

It was all just a big game. Cat and mouse. The goal? Don't get caught. Slade had sworn to him that there was nothing to be afraid of. He had taken care of him when he got sick, saved his life, brought him food, comforted him. He'd granted him clothing and gentle touches and at some times; he was almost like Batman. Distant, but always watching closely. Yes, he had promised that the non-consensual part of the game was over, but that didn't mean he was done playing. His final victory would be getting Robin into his bed voluntarily. Rape would mean losing, and Robin knew just how much Slade hated to lose. But then again, so did Robin.

"Robin, you look very nice today." Slade murmured as they exited the cafeteria. "Perhaps I'll make a few changes to your own uniform."

"Don't." Robin grumbled as he trudged along beside the man.

"If you say so. I can see how a skirt would be difficult to move in and by the way you're constantly stumbling in those platforms, I can see those wouldn't be the most practical." The mercenary chuckled.

Robin growled at him before tripping again.

"I do wish you would have taken your mask off, though . Such gorgeous eyes…their beauty could have been enhanced even further with a little make-up." Slade sighed, almost, to Robin's surprise, dreamily.

"Don't be a pervert." Robin scowled, lowering his head a little when Slade turned to give him a sharp look. In fact, he kept his piercing gaze trained on the boy until he let out a mumbled apology.

"Good boy." Slade actually sounded a bit…proud? Impressed? "Perhaps I can train you after all."

Robin rolled his eyes behind his mask and slinked a longside the man. "Whatever. I'm going back to my room."

"No, you're not." Slade stated. When Robin looked at him curiously, he sighed. "Surely you haven't forgotten about those stitches in your back? They're to be taken out today."

"Oh right, you mean the ones I got _after_ being hung from the goddamn ceiling and _before_ getting raped by a perverted son of a bitch?" Robin spat. He hated talking about the word carved into his back.

Slade didn't even flinch at the jab, pretending he hadn't heard anything at all. "Your appointment is in a half hour. It's better to get it out of the way."

Robin glared at his stupid purple and black shoes and huffed, shuffling down the hall in a spiraling mood . Not that his mood had been good to begin with. Some Saturday he was having. Nevertheless, he followed Slade into the, ready to get the stitches out of his back. They had started getting tight and irritating lately. Once they had entered, Slade unceremoniously shoved him into a chair.

"Stay." He ordered before walking over to the doctor.

"I'm not your dog." Robin muttered angrily. He crossed his arms over his chest and slumped down in his chair. His back was healed for the most part and his bruises were pretty much gone as well, sans the ones he got during combat practice. However, the slices in his back had formed into angry pink scars that kept the word permanently engraved on his back, possibly forever. Of course that was just what he'd gotten from quick glances in the mirror. It wasn't like he'd spent a good thirty minutes inspecting his back in the mirror and crying at the memory. Nope. _Time heals all wounds, blah blah blah…_

 


	14. Chapter 14

Anyway, he was only sitting there for ten minutes or so before Slade pulled him up and guided him into one of the back rooms. It wasn't the one that he'd been in the first time. This one had yellow walls that Robin found positively ugly. They were like the color of dried mustard. Everything else, however, looked perfectly fine. Once more, he was ordered to strip to his underwear and Robin blushed, not moving at all.

"Robin, do what the doctor tells you to." Slade ordered.

"Not with you here." Robin hissed. "And definitely not with the door open."

"Stop making such a fuss. You aren't a child." The man scolded. "Now I order you to remove your clothing right now unless you want to be in a lot of trouble."

Robin held his glare for a few long seconds before sighing and tugging his arms out of the sleeves. Slade had already seen him naked anyway. What was the use of maintain his modesty around him anyway? He tugged the dress up and over his head, folding it up and resting it on the bench. Then he kicked off his shoes so that the only things he wore were the bow and the black panties that hugged his slender hips and covered up his perfectly pert backside.

"Thank you." Slade nodded, and hearing the satisfaction and pleasure in his voice made Robin positively burn. He hated this.

"Alright, get on the bed and lie on your stomach." The doctor instructed as he pulled on some gloves. He watched as the boy obeyed eager to get this whole thing over with. However, he immediately began to squirm in insecurity and nervousness. He felt much too exposed in this position and he couldn't see where Slade was, making him even more paranoid. A cold wipe started to run over his back and he jerked in surprise.

"You need to lie still." The doctor scolded him sternly. "If you don't, I'll have to restrain you."

Robin stiffened at the sound of that and reluctantly stopped his squirming. It was hard, but the hero managed to make it easier by thinking up worse situations. He could have been in Slade's bed. Slade could have ripped the stiches out himself. He could be wearing a thong.

The doctor went back to wiping his back down with rubbing alcohol, making Robin shiver at the cold. He was absolutely freezing. The padding on the bed was chilled, not yet warmed up by his body heat and his hairless, thin frame did little to hold in any of that. The doctor finished sterilizing his skin and turned to his table of sharp and intimidating tools. Robin turned his head and snuck a peek, seizing up when he saw a small pair of scissors and a scalpel.

"What's that for?" Robin asked, eyeing the small blade.

"Well," the doctor began, deciding to amuse him, "I need to cut into your skin a little bit. It's started to grow a little around the stitches. It probably would have been better to take these out sooner."

"What?" The boy snarled. "Absolutely not!"

"Robin, it's the only way to get them out." Slade stated. "Let the doctor do his job."

"No way! Nuh-uh! Sorry." Robin shook his head wildly, sitting up. "I'm leaving."

Slade sighed. "And there's no convincing you to go along with it?" He asked the hero, who firmly shook his head. "Very well. Doctor, you may restrain him."

Robin reacted to that instantly and backed up to the corner. "Get away from me." He ordered.

"You're making this difficult, Robin. I was hoping that we could just get through this quickly and go on with our Saturday." Slade said tiredly. "Don't make me come over there."

Robin stiffened, remembering the last time he had defied Slade. Again with the fear and doubting. Sure, Slade had promised, but what if pushed him too far? He immediately regretted his hesitation. The second he lost focus, the doctor advanced on him and before he could move, a needle jabbed into his arm. He cringed and froze, his body tensing as he felt the needle slide against his muscle and flesh.

"Count back from one hundred." The doctor ordered.

Robin's eyes widened behind his mask and he made a desperate flee for the door.  _One hundred, ninety nine, ninety eight..._

* * *

Robin didn't even remember falling asleep. It seemed like only a few seconds had passed. When he opened his eyes and was immediately blinded by the bright fluorescent lights that pierced his pupils and burned his retinas. He squinted and closed them again, waiting for the sensitivity to fade and once he adjusted, he slowly looked up to find Slade staring down at him with something that seemed faintly like fascination. He knew he should be springing into action at the moment, trying to escape and all that, but right now, he couldn't get himself to care. He was just tired. His limbs felt heavy. His eyelids felt heavy. Each eyelash seemed to weigh ten pounds.

"Robin? Can you hear me?" Slade's voice asked. Even though it rang loud and clear, his brain just couldn't process it at the moment. In fact, he could hardly feel anything other than the scratchy sheets rubbing on his bare skin.

"He'll have to stay here for the day until the drugs wear off." The doctor stated. "I can get him a hospital gown to wear, but the clothes he was wearing are too constricting and might move the bandaging around."

"No, I'll take care of him myself. I believe Robin would feel…safer with a bit of comfort and privacy." Slade decided.

"Very well. He'll need to change the bandages every four hours and reapply the balm."

"That's doable." Slade nodded and glanced down at his little bird once more. He looked so peaceful. Sleepy and dubiously trusting. The hero was like a tired little child who was waiting to be carried to bed. Slade could slit his throat right now, and there would be nothing he could do about.

He thought about this again as he carried the teen down the hall. He was already undressed, clad in nothing but his little black panties and the gauze that was snugly wrapped around his torso. His bow had been pulled out and tossed aside which was just as well, since his hair was now sloppy and ruffled up. The boy's head was nuzzled again his chest, almost in the crook of his neck. Eyes were closed once more, but the mercenary was fairly certain that he wasn't sleeping. Without ever saying a word, Slade entered his room and cradled Robin against his chest for a few minutes more before gently settling him on the bed as if he were a newborn baby. He delicately lowered his fair little head on a pillow and pulled the blankets up around him. "Sleep it off, Robin." He ordered gently. Turning to walk away, he felt something brush against his thigh and in less than a second he turned around to find Robin blearily looking up at him. "Yes?"

Robin stared at him, as if he expected him to already know the answer. His hand still rested on the fabric of Slade's leg and he slowly curled it into a fist, gripping the Kevlar weakly. Through that little gesture, a paragraph of unspoken words were passed between them and Slade sighed. "Are you absolutely sure?" When the boy nodded as quickly as he could, the man let out a small grunt and removed his armor and shoes. He locked the door and changed into pajamas of his own, keeping his mask on as he crawled into bed with the boy. To his surprise, Robin rolled right over into his arms, pressing himself to Slade's chest. For once, the criminal was taken a bit off guard. He had expected to just lie there while Robin fell asleep. He never considered that Robin might actually want to sleep  _with_ him. After a slight hesitation, Slade slowly encircled his arms around the boy and it made his mouth twitch slightly to feel his muscular arms in proportion to Robin's lean, delicate form.

"I better not hear you complain about trust ever again." Slade scolded him gently, but he wasn't sure if Robin had even heard him. He was already asleep.

Robin hated being sedated. The first time a villain had ever drugged him had been the most terrifying moment of his life. He had woken up with a bloody nose and soiled tights (he was just a kid), shackled to an examination table in the Joker's hideout. He'd brought that knife down, only able to slice a single inch of flesh before Batman came to the rescue. He had been lucky, extremely lucky, and even though nothing horrible had happened, the trauma nestled in his mind. After that, he had many problems with medical treatments and Alfred did his best to avoid using sedatives of any kind, but sometimes, Robin was forced to bite the bullet. Batgirl often cuddled with him after or even Batman occasionally. Thankfully, this little matter had never come up around the Titans. He couldn't imagine ever imagine Cyborg or Raven or even Beast Boy volunteering to snuggle up to him. Starfire, maybe, but even that was a shot in the dark.

When he woke up, Robin found himself feeling overheated and sweaty. He was pressed tightly against Slade's chest and a warm blanket covered him, it was all too much. Kicking off the blankets, he felt a rush of cool air smack at his skin and he sighed. That was a little better, but Slade's body heat definitely wasn't helping anything. He wiggled out of the larger man's grasp and stretched his muscles, groaning in content. It felt wonderful on limbs that seemed to be filled with lead and several joints cracked. As he pulled at the tendons in his arms, a heavy, firm hand rested on his shoulder and he turned around, staring into Slade's mask. He felt his heart sink a little in disappointment though he wasn't sure why. What made him think Slade would ever remove his mask for him?

"About time you woke up." Slade commented as he stood and cracked the joints in his neck. "I was starting to wonder how many sedatives the man actually gave you."

Robin didn't reply and shrugged. Suddenly feeling bare, he wrapped the blanket around his small form.

"I'm assuming you'd like some clothes?" Slade asked.

Robin nodded eagerly, then hesitated. Knowing Slade, the man would probably want to mess with him and end up giving him another dress or something equally embarrassing. "Just get me some pajamas." He yawned, reaching his arms up into the air as he walked over to the bathroom. He shut the door and started to relieve himself in the toilet.

Slade was shifting clothes around in his drawer when he heard the horrified cry.

 


	15. Chapter 15

"Robin?" Slade called. He didn't even wait for a reply as he burst his way into the bathroom. "What's wrong?"

"Ah! Get away from me you fucking creep!" Robin shrieked frantically. He backed up against the sink, his eyes wide with mortification.

"What's going on?" Slade frowned.

"What's going on? I think you know exactly what's going on you sick pervert!" Robin snapped. "What kind of dirty old man sleeps with a drugged up teenager?"

Slade nearly choked behind his mask. "I was under the impression that you wanted me there. The way you curled up to me and buried your face in my chest-

"Ugh! Shut up! I was drugged!" Robin snapped. "What the hell would possibly make you think I would actually want to sleep with you? Maybe the constant humiliation or the rape or-

"Enough, Robin. You may have been under the influence of anesthesia, but I was simply doing as you wished. I asked you if you were sure, and you had no problem with it." Slade replied, his voice as smooth as ever.

Robin however, looked like he was going to blow a gasket. His face was bright red and smoke was practically coming out of his ears. He made a disgusted noise and stormed out of the bathroom. "Last night doesn't change anything! I still hate you!"

"What a perfectly mature response that was, Robin." Slade hummed. "Quite commendable."

Robin scowled in his direction as he yanked on some pajamas, pressing his mask back onto his eyes. "Fuck you. I'm going back to my room."

"You do that." The mercenary stated as he started his own morning routine.

Bursting with fury and embarrassment, Robin flounced angrily out of the room and down the hall, leaving Slade to make the bed. As he straightened the pillows, he couldn't resist lifting his mask a little and pressing the one Robin had used to his face for a big whiff. He repositioned his mask and finished making the bed.

Robin's back felt utterly sore with every step he took. The bandages he wore had been soaked with sweat and when he inspected himself in the bathroom mirror, he could see a light shading of reddish brown blood seeping into the gauze. Not only that, but he could just tell that his wounds were getting crusty and irritable. He slowly removed his shirt and hissing, unwrapped the bandage from around his torso. Dried blood plastered the gauze to the afflicted area and he let out a little whimper as scabs ripped open and fresh blood began to seep through. He found himself panting, simply from the burn and sting that it cause and he struggled not to move too suddenly, lest he want the incisions torn even wider.

He practically limped over to his bed flopped down, burying his face in the covers as cool air blew softly on his back from the vent on the ceiling. If only it would be a little stronger and a little cooler…

His prayers were answered when the blowing increased, as if the vent was only inches from his back and he lifted his head in surprise, turning to find Slade standing there with a magazine in his hand. He was waving it like a fan and when he met Robin's gaze, he pulled the balm out of his pocket. "I think you forgot something."

Robin stared at him in surprise and quickly glanced towards the couch. He couldn't suppress a shy blush when he found three pairs of eyes watching intently. It was either suffer the pain of his bleeding, burning back, or suffer the embarrassment of having Slade feel him up in front of three of his enemies. Either way, he'd be miserable.

"Please make up your mind." Slade sighed impatiently. "If you wish, we may do it in the bathroom."

Well, that wasn't much better. Should he choose a small, secluded room with a door that could be locked or a comfy bed with an audience? He supposed he didn't want any more gossip concerning him and Slade traveling around, so he knew he had no choice but to pick the lesser of two evils. With a hiss and a groan, Robin rose from his bed and shuffled back into the bathroom with Slade close behind. Once they were both inside, Slade shut and locked the door, making Robin swallow hard. "Wh-where do you want me?" He mumbled. Did that sound suggestive? Maybe a little…

"Just brace yourself against the sink." Slade instructed.

Robin did as he was told, letting his hair hang down in his face so that he and Slade would not be forced to look at each other. He tensed at the sound of Slade coming near him and jerked a little, afraid that the man would touch his painful wound.

"I must say, Robin, for a vigilante with plenty of field experience, I would have thought you would be better at tending to afflictions." Slade commented.

"How am I supposed to reach my back?" Robin scowled defensively.

Slade didn't reply. He rummaged through the bathroom cabinets until he came across Robin's first aid kit and selected a roll of gauze and a package of sterilization wipes. "I'm going to have to clean up the area seeing as it's been neglected.

Robin ignored the jab, letting out a squeak when he felt his pajamas being tugged to the floor. "What are you doing?" He demanded to know. He started to stand upright, but Slade's hand was pressing strategically on his neck.

"The whole area, Robin. That does include your lower back." Slade sighed again, as if he was dealing with a bratty toddler instead of a teenage superhero.

"Well I don't really think it's necessary t-OW!" Robin cried out as Slade sharply slapped his left thigh. "What the fuck?"

"Hold still unless you want me to mess up." Slade ordered. "And I promise that'll hurt much worse than a little smack."

Reluctantly, Robin obeyed, gripping the sides of the sink tightly. Luckily, it wasn't too painful. Slade started by scrubbing away the blood that had dripped from his wounds and dried. The skin became a little tender, but otherwise it wasn't an issue. However, as he got closer and closer to the actual wound, Robin's skin grew increasingly sensitive to the aggressive touch and the teenager found himself biting back whimpers. Suddenly, he felt the coarse texture of the wipe brush over one of the open gashes and he let out a cry of pain, his entire body jerking. His toes curled and he pushed up by the balls of his feet as his eyes squeezed shut. A hand started to gently rub the pale skin on his hip bone in an attempt at comfort.

"Almost done." Slade murmured. As promised, the pain disappeared in a matter of moments, leaving nothing but the stinging aftermath.

Robin was panting by now, whimpering a little as alcohol seeped into one of the cuts. It was only a matter of minutes before Slade was touching the area again, this time with his fingers coated in a slick balm that felt vaguely like Vaseline. His gloves had been tossed aside and now his calloused fingertips drifted gingerly over the angry red wounds and the rashy pink skin that surrounded them.

"Ah!" Robin screamed when Slade's nail accidentally dragged through a gash and tears immediately welled up in his eyes. He gasped and his muscles tightened as a sob of agony bubbled out of him. He thought it was over, but Slade had to continue rubbing over the irritated area, forcing more tears down the boy's face.

He couldn't handle it anymore. The pain was overwhelming and the tears flooded uncontrollably from his eyes, resulting in his mask peeling off of his face. Sobs ripped forcefully from his throat as if he was puking and his entire body shuddered violently.

"Please calm down, Robin." Slade said, but he sounded more concerned than annoyed. He grabbed the roll of gauze and began to rewrap the entire area in fresh, clean bandage until it was completely hidden from view. He tucked the end in and carefully seized the boy in a sort-of hug, guiding him over to the toilet and sitting him down on the closed lid. He knelt down to Robin's level and shushed him, stroking his hair as he coughed and sobbed and whimpered like a toddler.

"It's all done, little bird." Slade soothed, using his thumb to wipe away the tears that rolled down his cheeks. "Just take a few deep breaths and clean your face up." When he realized that Robin could barely even achieve his first instruction, he rose to his feet and selected a washcloth from the closet. He soaked it in lukewarm water and returned to his spot. With one hand, he carded his fingers through the inky locks while the other began to gently wipe the tears from Robin's red, blotchy face. Once he was sure there were no more tears to be shed, he got up and began putting everything away, all the while listening to Robin's gradual relaxation. He turned to look at the boy, but Robin refused to meet his gaze, probably out of shame.

Slade stalked over to him and tilted his chin up, not bothering with commands this time. "It's okay if you cry…" He told him. "…just as long as it's for a legitimate reason and you know when to stop."

Robin sighed and nodded. He shouldn't have expected anything too awe-inspiring from Slade. He slowly rose, relieved to feel the balm already doing its job, and shuffled back into the room where the boys continued to play their eternal video game. However, there was no hiding the obvious fact that they had been eavesdropping and that made Robin hide his face as his shame returned tenfold. Feeling tired from the exertion he had just gone through, he slipped under his covers, not caring if Slade was still there.

"Light training tomorrow." Slade told him simply before leaving.

 


	16. Chapter 16

Slade kneeled over him as he slept, watching the boy intently. His sculpted chest rose up and down with every unconscious breath: a perfect, continuous rhythm. As he clambered onto the bed, the mattress dipped, causing Robin's eyes to flutter open. His eyes lazily drifted up to meet Slade's and a little smile touched his lips. Without a word, Slade removed his mask, though in the darkness of the room, it remained concealed by shadows. A pair of lips ghosted over Robin's before drifting down to his delicate neck and sucking eagerly. Robin hummed in content and let his head fall back, allowing better access. The man nipped at his collar bone, eliciting a soft gasp from the boy beneath him. His hands roamed freely, covering every square inch of Robin's body, making him writhe and moan like a needy little whore. Slade chuckled at him lowly and sucked harder on the soft skin of his throat. He bit down lightly, grating the flesh between his teeth until he could taste little beads of blood pearling from the hickey he had created.

"Mmmm! Please!" Robin panted, a bulge growing in his pajamas. A small whine escaped his throat when Slade brought his knee up between his legs and pressed at the erection. "Slaade." He simpered, bucking up lightly.

"Look at you." Slade growled lowly. "Humping my leg like the needy little slut you are."

Robin panted, raising his hips to get some sort of friction. He let out a cry of protest when Slade removed his leg, pouting up at him tearfully.

"Calm down, little bird." He smirked in amusement.

"Please, Slade, I need it." The boy whined, bucking wildly.

"Need what? Tell me what you need, birdy.""Yo-ou!" He answered, his voice raising an octave when the man began to roughly massage his bulging crotch.

"You want me. You want my cock. You're no hero. You're just a pretty little whore." Slade hissed lustfully and licked a stripe up his chest.

"Yes!" Robin agreed wholeheartedly as he writhed eagerly.

"Whose whore are you, little bird? Who is your master?"

"You! I'm your whore, Master!" He cried out and his vision turned white as he came hard into his pants.

"Get up!"

Robin groaned, burying his face in his pillow.

"I'm serious! Slade's waiting outside. He told me to wake you up and tell you that you have to get ready for training." Gizmo said, shaking one of his arms.

"Fine!" Robin sighed loudly. He stretched out and yawned, feeling around on his bedside table for a mask. His fingertips hit fabric and he grabbed it, pressing it to his closed eyes before having a look around. Groaning tiredly, he kicked his covers off.

Then yanked them back up when he saw the mess he had made of his sheets.

A bright blush stained his cheeks. Oh my. The dream. He had…oh God. How could he possibly in a million years explain this? That he had dreamt about doing… _things_ with Slade? It's not like he actually wanted it! Did he? Hadn't he once heard that dreams are just suppressed thoughts or something? Did that mean he  _did_ want to have sex with Slade? Oh God.

"Robin, I'm getting tired of waiting." Slade scolded as he entered the room. A shiver went down Robin's spine and he stared at the man's mask, just imagining the rough lips from last night's dream. He could still feel his hands running all over his body, his calloused palms rubbing in such private places that he had to quickly think about Jinx's boobs just to keep from popping a boner right then and there.

"Umm, I-I'll be right there." Robin stammered. "Just give me a minute."

Slade nodded and stepped back, waiting patiently with his arms crossed over his chest.

"A little privacy?" Robin added. Only then did the man relent and step back into the hall. This was his chance. Reaching over to his dresser from the bed, he snatched up the first uniform he saw and fled to the bathroom before anybody could see what he had done. Safe inside the locked room, he was able to strip and clean the half-dried come off of his groin and inner thighs without suspicion. He balled up his underwear and pants, prepared to stash them under his bed until he had the opportunity to sneak them down with his laundry unnoticed. Then he turned to his clothes. Almost immediately he realized that he had forgotten underwear and cursed under his breath. He'd just have to dress, get boxers, come back, undress, and put them on. With that in mind, he grabbed his dirty clothes and headed out into the bedroom. Unfortunately, he only had enough time to stash the pants before Slade was pulling him out of the room. He tried to protest, but Slade wasn't listening and simply led him towards the gym by a tight grip on his forearm.

"We'll be working on strength for today. Nothing more and nothing less." Slade commented as they entered the weight room and Robin made a face. He was strong enough already. He didn't need to look like a freaking body builder in order to be a good hero.

"We'll start with pushups."

Robin's arms felt like noodles. He literally could not feel his hands. The poor, overworked appendages hung limply as he followed Slade back to his room for some fresh bandages. His gauze had become completely soaked with sweat and they had both come to the agreement that it was more than sanitary to shower and get a new one.

"Shower and then I want you to wrap your towel around your waist and lie face down on the bed." Slade instructed. Robin obediently scampered off to the bathroom and made sure to lock it before stripping from his uniform and removing his gauze. His mask fluttered to the floor as he stepped into the shower. He wasted no time washing his air and scrubbing his body clean, avoiding his back completely. Slade would take care of that. He stepped out after ten minutes and towel dried his hair and chest. Then he wrapped the towel tightly around his waist and headed out of the bathroom. Slade was nowhere to be found, so he went ahead and crawled over to the send of the bed, making himself comfortable. When he heard the door open and close, he immediately figured that Slade had gone to get him clean clothes.

What he had  _not_ expected was for Slade to rip off his towel, exposing his bare ass to the room. Robin squeaked and was about to roll over, but Slade paused him with a single touch to his shoulder. The teen was ready to protest this indignity but Slade beat him to it as he repositioned the towel over the curve of his ass. "Satisfied?" He murmured.

Robin didn't reply, grumbling to himself. That ceased fairly quickly when he began to wipe the sweat away and apply the balm. Thankfully he didn't cry this time, but his lip was bleeding quite a bit.

"Stand up so that I can wrap the bandages around you." Slade ordered.

Robin awkwardly rose to his feet and started to situate the towel, but Slade easily wrenched it from his hands. "Don't bother. It would probably just fall anyway." He stated. When Robin refused to be appeased by this, he sighed in irritation. "I promise I won't look." He stated.

Robin huffed and raised his arms, allowing Slade to situate the gauze and wind it around the younger boy's torso, layer after layer until it was thick and secure. Only then did Slade grant him his clothes, most likely retrieved from his room. He raced to step into his boxers and then, to his surprise, soft pajamas.

"I'm not going to class?" He questioned.

"Your teachers and I have come to…an agreement. We've decided not to put you in a possibly provocative situation based on the history you've had with your fellow classmates. Not until your wounds are healed." Slade informed him.

Robin could immediately decipher that "we've decided" actually meant "I insisted" but he didn't argue with that. The longer he was away from those freaks, the better.

"I want you to stay here for now. I'll get you some lunch. Sleep if you want." Slade commented as he headed towards the door. "After all, I can't imagine  _your_ sheets being very comfortable at the moment." He sneered as he left the room.

 


	17. Chapter 17

Robin woke up one morning and realized that it was snowing outside. Had that much time really passed? At first, each day had seemed like a million years, but now that Slade was leaving him alone and he was ignoring Slade with the exception of their training sessions, time seemed to speed by faster than Kid Flash. There was still a lot of bullying from both students and teachers, along with the ridiculous workload of even more ridiculous assignments, but he got through it. For the most part, his sexuality had become old news and with Slade around, nobody dared try anything like what Kaine had done ever again.

His back was now fully healed, but thanks to all of the complication, he had been left with a number of sensitive pink scars crisscrossing over his spine. Other than that, he was in perfect condition and was able to keep up in combat and training. Unfortunately, gym continued to take place outside beside the harsh temperatures and unforgiving winds that were starting to make appearances more and more often as November came to a close. He just hoped that fat lard wouldn't make them run in snow.

"Probably hopes I'll die of hypothermia." Robin thought bitterly as he sat up in bed and stretched. It was early enough that the rest of his roommates were sleeping. This way he could spend those extra few minutes in the shower without somebody banging on the door for him to hurry up.

Robin slipped out of bed and selected a uniform from the dresser, taking it with him into the bathroom. He showered quickly and changed into the clean clothes just in time to open the door a split second before Gizmo's fist made contact with it. "Done." He said as the smaller boy recovered from surprise.

Leaving the others, he fetched his school bag and walked down to the cafeteria for an early breakfast. He went through the short food line and was rewarded with eggs and sausage. He grabbed a banana and some milk before wandering over to an empty table.

That was one thing that hadn't changed. His only friend at the moment seemed to be Slade, which wasn't very comforting at all. Even the girls that had stood up for him in the hallway that time didn't want to be within a hundred feet of him. He had once tried to talk to them, thank them for speaking up, but the girl had immediately given him a dirty look and hissed  _"faggot"_ just so he knew that they had no interest in ever being friendly with him. Ah well…

Once breakfast was finished, Robin stood up and tossed out his tray, strolling down the hall to his first class of the day. As expected, they were all boring and long and not worth much of his time, that is, until he got to his third class of the day. He entered the classroom of his Hero Familiarization class and was greeted by a picture of Batman on the projector screen. Standing beside him was a tiny, dark haired boy in those horrid green undies.

Robin felt his cheeks flush and around him a few people started to giggle into their palms. Oh God, of all of the pictures… His hair was an absolute mess and he had those stupid bangs and-Jesus Christ, practically half of his teeth were missing! And he was so skinny with his little toothpick legs coming out from those sickeningly green briefs. Well now that he thought about it, he was still skinny…

The teacher gave him a knowing smirk as he took his seat, but Robin didn't meet his smug gaze. He should have known this was coming. Just last week they had discussed why Superman had so many sidekicks of his own, so why wouldn't they survey Batman and his infamous sidekick?

He glanced up again at the photo and cringed. Maybe he could do a bit of rethinking for his uniform. Other than those horrid spandex, nothing had really changed. He glanced down at the clothing he wore and shook his head. Why bother? It wasn't like he wouldn't be getting out of orange and black anytime soon.

He sighed and decided to block out the sound of the teacher's voice, already knowing what this class would be about. He and Bruce had heard about it time and time again from ridiculous tabloids spreading gossip about them. The accusations of molestation, pedophilia, sexual slavery…it had all been shoved in his face before. Robin glanced at the clock and slumped in his seat. All lies. In fact, the only true moment of molestation in his life had been that time with Slade. Ironically, nobody seemed to care about that despite him limping down the hallway butt naked and covered in the man's semen. No, evil was evil, no reason to be studied any further. Society just loved to pick at people who were truly good, exploit their kindness as weakness and crush them. Robin felt his hands in fists. Bruce had saved him that night. He had saved him from an orphanage, and in return offered him life. Batman was no villain.

"Robin?"

"What?" He snapped, then stiffened, taken back by the anger in his own voice. He had really riled himself up.

"Perhaps you would like to shed some light on the unity of the dynamic duo?" His teacher asked.

Robin held back a laugh. Did that idiot seriously think he would tell him anything? At all? He lifted his gaze to the man and shrugged. "He picked me up from a nearby elementary school." He replied sarcastically.

The giggles that followed were quickly silenced by the teacher's sharp gaze. "I would ask you to hold your tongue in my class."

"And I would ask you to keep your nose out of my personal business." Robin replied.

"You're pushing it." The man hissed. "One more word out of you and you can see me after school for detention."

Robin rolled his eyes, not that anybody could tell behind his mask and sat back in his seat. This whole class was a waste of time. The "informative" handouts they often received looked like no more than paraphrased tabloid articles. It was obvious that this school was trying to brainwash kids into believing that heroes were just as, if not more corrupt and evil than they were.

"…rumored that the home of his secret identity was the main area for Batman's corruption with his sidekicks…"

Robin's head snapped up. "Excuse me?"

"Is there a problem?" The teacher sighed in exasperation.

"Yes, there's a problem! Batman has never 'corrupted' anybody!" Robin stated angrily, making finger quotes.

"And how can you be so sure?"

"How can I be-Do you even know who I am?" The teen asked. "What kind of ridiculous question is that?"

"You were young," the teacher shrugged, "you may have not even noticed it."

"Have you ever met Batman? If he tried to touch anybody, they would know it." Robin huffed.

"Well how about your own affliction? How else would you explain your homosexuality?"

Robin's eyebrows furrowed at the man's stupidity. "I was born that way."

"Yes, yes, but Batman-

"Enough, I'm done here. This is the dumbest conversation I've ever had in my entire life." Robin said, standing up from his desk and grabbing his bag.

"Robin, I am not giving you permission to leave this classroom."

"Don't care."

"You walk out that door and you will deeply regret it."

"I'll take my chances."

"Robin…do not make me call Slade down here."

"Go ahead." He had reached the door.

"Get back here now!"

"Bye…"

Robin exited the classroom and could hear the man fuming from inside the classroom, yelling after him. He heard snippets of "detention" and "Slade" but that didn't stop him. It was funny, but being the bad kid for a change was kind of nice. He didn't have to follow rules or do things he didn't want to. He didn't stress out over what others thought of him and he didn't have to care about anyone but himself.

"Robin."

Sighing at the deep baritone voice that seemed to follow him everywhere, he turned around and boldly met the man's gaze. "What?"

"Why are you misbehaving in class?"

"The teacher was being stupid."

"So you decided that it would be acceptable for you to do the same?" Slade questioned.

Robin scoffed and kicked at the floor. "That class is bullshit."

"So is your attitude. I suggest you fix it." Slade replied sternly.

Robin scowled at him. "Whatever. I'm not going back."

"Well you're not going to waste time goofing off in the halls. We're going to do some strength training in the gym."

Sighing dramatically, Robin reluctantly followed. Slade may have backed off over the last month, but that didn't mean he wouldn't snap at any time. Of course, the same could be said about Robin. Not only was he stressed mentally and physically but…ehrm,  _sexually_ as well. Ever since he'd had that dream about Slade, he couldn't bring himself to even think about beating off. He felt as though Slade would know he had done it. And even scarier than that, what if ended up thinking about Slade again? Ugh.

He shuffled into the large gymnasium after Slade and was almost immediately shoved to the floor. "Push-ups, go."

Robin almost wished he had stayed and listened about his supposed relationship with Batman. Slade was punishing him, he could tell because after push-ups came sprints and then more push-ups and weights and weights with push-ups and more sprints and then sprints while carrying weights and by the end he just wanted to cut his arms off so he wouldn't have to feel the burning pain in his throbbing muscles.

He could barely walk to the cafeteria at dinner time and Slade actually had to shake him awake before he fell asleep in his soup. He protested at first, but when he saw chicken broth dripping from the tip of his hair, he grudgingly obeyed and went straight to bed.

_He could feel something nipping at his neck. Hot breath made his skin tingle as rough lips grazed over the spot. Robin let his head fall back and even though he was beyond tired, something kept him from protesting. The lips moved upwards to his jaw and a tongue was stuck out quickly to taste the sweat on his skin, teasing him._

" _Mmmm." He whined tiredly, squirming. There was a hoarse chuckle and then the mouth started moving all over him from his jaw to the exposed back of his neck and shoulders. The teeth grazed slightly, nipping and biting him as a gloved hand reached up to brush over his back._

" _More." He whimpered out. He started to roll over onto his back but was stopped by a second hand. He obediently stayed put and this one journeyed down to the curve of his ass to give it a rough squeeze. "Kiss me." He murmured, turning his head to catch the dark figure in a passionate lip lock. Tongues explored for only a few split seconds before his bottom lip was caught between a set of teeth and gnawed on before being released._

_The figure returned to his back and pressed another kiss to it, making Robin relax as he lay there. His breaths came out even and his eyes hooded slightly in content. Then something sharp nudged his back and he stiffened. "That hurt." He commented, pouting at the lack of reply. Another sharp slice to his back made his entire body jerk forward and he scrambled away. "The hell?" He snapped as he felt warm blood trickle down to the small of his back. He turned to vent his anger but choked at what he saw._

" _What's wrong? You didn't like it?" Joker asked from the very corner of his bed. His face was half hidden in the shadows of the room, but not enough to hide his stringy, green hair or wide, rancid grin. "I was having fun." He held up a small dagger and chuckled lowly. "Shall we continue?"_

_Speechless, Robin looked down at his body to find it smudged with red paint, left behind from the kisses he had received only moments ago. He looked up at Joker in terror…_

Slade had only gotten an hour or so of sleep before there was an urgent knock at his bedroom door. He chose to ignore it at first, but after three, four, five times, he realized that this unknown annoyance wouldn't be going away anytime soon. With a disgruntled groan, the man stood up and tugged his leather mask over his face, made specifically for sleeping and eating purposes. Not caring that the rest of his attire was not up to his usual standard, he opened the door. Before he could even assess the situation, the person, wrapped in a blanket, came rushing into his room. Slade held in a growl and shut the door, turning on the light.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" He snapped. "Why aren't you in bed?"

Robin, looking more relieved to be near Slade than he should, dropped the blanket and stared up at him. "Sorry, I didn't realize I was interrupting your beauty sleep." He said sarcastically.

Slade may have been tired, but he was alert enough to notice that Robin was covering insecurity with sarcasm and that he was unusually skittish. "Well then, what do you want?"

Robin opened his mouth, then closed it. Frowning, he stared at the floor and fought down a small blush. "I need to sleep here tonight." He stated.

"Why?"

"Because…Gizmo put poison oak in my sheets."

Slade looked at him with close scrutiny. "Gizmo just happened to have some poison oak lying around in winter?"

This time an unstoppable blush flamed up on Robin's pale cheeks, betraying his words. "Yes." He glanced away. He was making a fool of himself. There was no way Slade would let him stay the night in his room. If only he was as easy to manipulate as Starfire, who had easily accepted the excuses of bedbugs and spilled sodas.

"And why didn't you simply change your sheets?" Slade hummed, playing along.

Robin immediately caught on to this and sighed impatiently. "Look, we're both tired. Are you going to let me sleep here or not?"

"Not." Slade replied, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Unless you would like to tell me your real reason for being here?"

Robin's blush intensified tenfold as he stared at his feet, embarrassedly rubbing the back of his head. "It's really not a big deal." He muttered.

"Then you should have no problem telling me." Slade replied.

Robin remained silent, staring at the opposite wall of the room until Slade let out an annoyed sigh. "Alright, if you're not going to say anything then get ou-

"I had a nightmare."

Slade raised his eyebrows in surprise and turned to look at Robin head on. "Come again?"

"I had a nightmare about Joker and I'm too scared to sleep alone, happy." Robin scowled bitterly.

"That's it?" Slade snapped. "A bad dream? How absolutely childish, Robin!"

"You don't understand-

"Oh I understand perfectly. Did you wet your bed, too? You're much too old to be afraid of somebody as unstable and idiotic as Joker." Slade scolded.

"Well we can't all be as fearless as you, Slade!" Robin snapped angrily. "And I'm not a child! There's nothing wrong with fear."

"There is if it keeps you from achieving goals, one of them being sleep." Slade replied.

"Just let me stay here." Robin requested.

"Absolutely not." Slade shook his head. He opened the door and pointed at the pitch black hallway. "Go." He watched as Robin's gaze flickered fearfully into the darkness and rolled his eyes in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"Just shut up! I'm sorry if you're disappointed to find out that I'm a human being but don't talk to me like that! Even Batman was never this mean!" Robin snapped.

Slade opened his mouth to retort but bit it back when he saw the way Robin swallowed hard. What was he doing? Robin had literally come running for his bed and he was trying to push him away? Wasn't his plan to care for Robin and offer him companionship? To think that drowsy crossness had almost gotten in the way of that! Slade let out a sigh and rubbed his face through the mask. "Get in bed."

Robin looked at him quickly. "What?"

"Do you want to stay or not?" Slade said roughly and that was all the encouragement Robin needed to scramble onto the one side of the bed that hadn't been claimed by Slade's large form. His own blanket lay abandoned on the floor, so Slade picked it up and quickly tossed it over Robin. Then he turned on the bathroom light and left the door open so that it would seep into the bedroom once the overhead light had been turned off. Finally he crawled back into bed and pulled the covers back up, not going to bed for a long time.

Robin must have not realized this because after ten minutes of lying still, Slade felt Robin roll over to his side of the bed and straight into his arms. Great. One more thing to get blamed for once the boy woke up again. Ah well, didn't matter now. He sighed softly and put one of his arms over the small boy. Maybe Joker would think twice before invading Robin's dreams again now that he was here. Chuckling at the thought, Slade relaxed and shut his eyes.

 


	18. Chapter 18

Slade was up before the sun the next morning. He preferred to be in his armor by the time Robin opened his own eyes for the day. In all honesty, he had not appreciated the younger boy seeing him in such an unprofessional state of dress the night before and he planned to assert his authority as soon as possible, starting now.

He walked over to the bed and observed the teenager in his peaceful slumber. The boy looked so calm and young that he found himself reluctant to ruin the innocence of the picture, but classes started soon and he didn't want Robin in more trouble than he already was after the sidekick outburst from the day before. Slade took hold of the sheet and unceremoniously yanked it off. "It's time to wake up, Robin." To his disbelief, the boy didn't move, not even a twitch. It was as if he hadn't even touched him. He tried again. "Robin." He repeated louder. "Wake up."

This time he received a small, aggravated whine for his efforts and watched as the raven rolled away from him. He hugged his pillow tightly, bringing his knees up to his chest.

"Robin, do as I say." Slade ordered. "Don't make me regret letting you sleep here."

"School doesn't start for an hour." Robin groaned back.

"That's not what I said. Get up, or I will move you myself." Slade threatened, but all he got in reply was a small yawn. He waited for another minute, but when he realized Robin didn't plan on moving, he sighed. "Fine, have it your way."

Robin smiled to himself and curled up into a tighter ball. While it was a little chilly with the lack of covers, he was still sleepy enough that it didn't matter. He could deal with a little cold. He gave another short yawn and buried his face back into the pillow.

CRACK!

Robin let out a shrill squeal and shot up out of bed, bringing his hands to rub his stinging bottom where Slade's staff had struck him. "What the fuck was that?" He yelled angrily.

"I told you to get up. Now unless you want a beating before school even starts, I suggest you get ready." The man replied calmly. He brought the staff up and down in his left hand, looking straight at Robin.

Rubbing his now aching cheeks, Robin glared at him hatefully and headed towards the bathroom, keeping his back to the wall should Slade change his mind. Once in the safety of the bathroom, Slade could hear mutters of "asshole" and "jerk" but he didn't bother to reprimand the boy. It was needless to say that he had found an excellent form of motivation. He didn't plan on using it loosely, only if Robin should truly need it, but the teen didn't need to know that. Chuckling slightly at the mental image of a pouting Robin rubbing his butt like no superhero he had ever seen, Slade put the staff away and waited for Robin to come out.

Robin came out in his pajamas, going straight to Slade's dresser for one of the uniforms he kept for Robin in his own room. They were mostly left over from Robin's days of hiding out in there, but had never been returned to the proper dorm so there they sat. He unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the floor, making the words  _messy child_ flash through Slade's head. The criminal could still see the scars left back from October and wondered if they were very sensitive. He took a seat on the bed and watched the boy tug on his shirt, but when got to his pajama pants, he hesitated and looked at Slade.

"Is there a problem, Robin?" Slade sighed impatiently. They were going to be late if Robin continued all of these immature games.

"Stop staring at me! I'm changing for Christ's sake!" Robin huffed.

Slade shook his head in disbelief. "I do hope that you one day outgrow this trait of indecisiveness." He commented, but played along, turning to face the opposite wall while Robin shed the rest of his pajamas and put on his uniform. Once he was presentable, Slade checked the time and shook his head in disbelief. "You aren't a toddler, Robin. I shouldn't have to babysit you to make sure you get ready."

Robin cast him a dirty look and walked out of the room. He ducked his head, not wanting to see the assuming and smug expressions on students' faces as he appeared from Slade's bedroom with the man himself. In a way, he could see how the student body was under the impression that they were fucking. It was a thought that made him shudder.

"There he is!"

Robin turned to see his least favorite trio walking down the hall towards him.

"We thought you left early." Gizmo sneered. "Guess you couldn't stand not having your ass pounded for even a single night." He cackled, quickly shutting up when Slade cast him a sharp glance.

"Charming." Robin muttered, having grown far too used to these vulgar comments. It was funny how words that used to impale his very being barely left a scratch now. He felt a hand on his shoulder and quickly shrugged it off, hurrying to the cafeteria for breakfast with the rest of the students.

* * *

In his History of Crime class, they watched a documentary on contemporary villains in Gotham. Robin figured this was as good a time as ever to catch up on the sleep Slade had deprived him of this morning so he propped his head up in his hands and shut his eyes. If there was one perk to wearing a mask, it was that he could get away with pulling stuff like this in class. He dozed lightly, remaining just aware enough to ensure that nobody messed with him. His breath evened and his body relaxed, his hand just barely keeping his head up. It slowly began to droop and to hell with bullies, soon he was fast asleep with his face in his elbow.

Jinx was watching with immense interest, taking notes when somebody tapped her on the shoulder. "Psst."

Rolling her eyes, she turned around. "What?" She asked Seemore irritably.

"Bird Boy's asleep." The boy whispered, a mischievous grin consuming his face.

Jinx raised her eyebrow. "So?"

"So let's mess with him."

"How about you shut up and take notes like you're supposed to?"

Seemore scowled at her. "You're no fun. Fine. Gizmo and I'll just have to ask Kaine for help instead."

"You gonna send Robin to the freaking hospital again?" She rolled her eyes.

"Nah, just a little scare." Seemore grinned. Ending the conversation there, he turned to gain the attention of Kaine, hissing his name from across the dark room. When the boy finally glanced over with the same annoyed expression, Seemore pointed at Robin and his face melted into glee. Slipping a hand under his desk to hide his glowing hand, he slowly levitated the little speakers off of the teacher's desk, placing them on either side of Robin's head. He cackled softly and turned the volume up all the way.

Robin was roughly jarred awake by a maniacal laugh that seemed to suffocate his senses and nearly deafen. He shot out of his seat in surprise, clambering onto his desk and knocking everything off of it in the process as he scanned the room for the terrifying villain that had made such a noise. When he realized where he was, he silently slipped off of the table and slumped low in his seat as the others around him laughed, though most were still recovering from a slight scare of their own at the sudden change in volume.

He got another hour of detention for being a disturbance in class.

Slade was not happy.

"Maybe I should use the staff on your misbehaving bottom!" Slade snapped when he heard Robin's reason for having to miss even more training time. "Perhaps it would teach you to behave."

"I told you it wasn't my fault." Robin muttered as he picked at his lunch. "They scared me."

"And were you supposed to be sleeping in class?" Slade retorted.

"Well maybe if you let me sleep in…" Robin muttered sullenly, hissing when he saw whacked on the back of the head.

"Jerk."

* * *

Detention was boring. Robin had his homework finished in the first hour and he still had three more to go. It wasn't fair, really. Why should he get punished for standing up for himself or getting bullied? If anybody should get detention, it should be Mr. Lynch and Kaine and Seemore and all of those other horrible students and teachers who had made it their personal business to make his life a living hell. It just wasn't fair. To make matters worse, he still had a gym class to make up after having skipped it in favor of wandering the halls. If he hadn't been ratted out by Jinx…All in all, his life was just endless punishment. Class was punishment, detention was punishment, and homework was punishment. He just had to accept this.

With nothing else to do, Robin daydreamed for a bit, but seeing as his mind kept wandering to Slade, he decided to draw. He was no artist, but when it came to cute little doodles they came out all right. He often spent entire classes filling pages in his notebooks with drawings of Starfire holding a bottle of mustard with hearts around her, or Raven meditating with a funny little scowl on her face, or Beast Boy and Cyborg playing video games with tiny tears falling from BB's eyes as Cy crushed him. It made him smile to think about his friends, to imagine them like they'd always been. It made him wonder if Raven was still scowling, or if Cyborg was still beating Beast Boy at video games and if Star still ate mustard by the gallon full.

He opened to a fresh page and started on a sketch of a chibi Kid Flash, but abandoned it halfway through with a bored sigh. He could barely work up the motivation to do anything nowadays. High school could sure suck the life out of a person the way nothing else could. In the end, he settled for propping his feet up on the desk and taking a nap.

That had turned out to be a good thing when Robin found himself running around a half frozen track in pitch black darkness five hours later. It was absolutely freezing with temperatures in the teens, not that Cleaman cared. The man was standing just outside the gym door with a parka and a thermos of hot coffee while he watched the boy sprint around the track in nothing more than his gym clothes.

"I'll get hypothermia if I go out in this!" Robin had protested as he stood in the shorts and t-shirt.

"You'll warm up once you start running." The coach had replied easily. "Now MOVE!"

So Robin was now moving. He could barely see through the black of night and falling snow hit his bare skin, stinging like hundreds of tiny needles. There were patches of ice everywhere, but every time Robin started to slow down to avoid them, Cleamen blew his stupid whistle and yelled at him to speed up.

"Last lap!" He barked. "Get your lazy ass moving!"

Robin huffed angrily and sped up, wanting to get this whole thing over with. He was just turning a curve when his sneaker hit slippery black ice that sent his feet flying into the air. Luckily his head hit snow instead of ice, but the freezing temperature sent horrible pain through his body. He scrambled up to his feet and didn't even bother brushing off the snow as he finished the last lap and scurried inside for a hot shower and some warm blankets after.

 


	19. Chapter 19

Robin woke up Friday morning feeling like somebody had filled his skull with bricks during the time that he was asleep. He tried to breath, only to find that his sinuses were completely clogged and swollen. He coughed, wracking his whole body and bringing mucus into his mouth. He grabbed a tissue off of his bedside table and spat the phlegm into it before tossing it in the trash with a small grimace. He stood up, grabbing onto the edge of his bed to let an overwhelming wave of dizziness pass. Then he made the trip into the bathroom but felt so wobbly and exhausted that he had to take a seat on the closed toilet lid as soon as he reached it.

Ronin took the time to look into the shower mirror and made a face. He looked…weak. His skin was paler than usual with an almost grayish tint and his forehead and cheeks were glistening with perspiration. He watched in surprise as the paleness was replaced with a pink flush in less than a minute and suddenly the room felt like an inferno. He recognized the feeling of cold sweat and shut his eyes, waiting for the sensation to pass before getting up, stripping off his clothes and stepping into the shower.

Robin knew he'd have to be careful that he didn't slip or pass out from dizziness. The last thing he needed was to split his skull open on the slick tiles. After making quick work of cleaning his body, and sat down on the floor to wash his hair and face. He turned the water off before grabbing his towel and climbing out, immediately steadying himself on the sink. How could he be stupid enough to actually run outside in the fucking snow? Why didn't he just say no? Now he was sick and late for class: a terrible combination.

He arrived nearly fifteen minutes late after a sneezing and coughing attack followed by a little bit of dry heaving had slowed him down in the dorm room. When he stepped into his Weaponry and Tech class, every head turned to look at him and his face flushed again, though he wasn't sure if it was because of the sickness or not. The boy silently walked over to his station, stumbling slightly and plopping himself down on the metal stool.

"Nice of you to join us." The teacher commented. "Now that you're here we can finally begin."

Robin ignored the jab, too tired, too achy, and too miserable to care what they had to say at the moment. He sniffled, rubbing his eyes through his mask in attempt to relieve some of the pressure behind them, but to no avail. The teacher chattered away about chainmail…or was it grappling hooks? He wasn't really quite sure at the moment.

God, was he cold. The room was possibly lower in temperature than the air outside and for once he wished Slade had thought to make a hoodie for his uniform. He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered, hanging his head and shutting his heavy eyelids.

And then the bell was ringing. Robin looked up in surprise to find the other students filtering out of the room as they chattered amongst each other. Eighty minutes worth of notes were written on the white board and his mind swirled, trying to figure out what was going on. Had he fallen asleep and missed the entire class? But he had only closed his eyes for a minute! Still trying to understand how this all possibly could have happened, Robin gathered his things and shuffled out of the classroom.

Gym was even worse. Robin had zero energy and even though coach decided to keep them indoors that day, he was still the last to finish the warm up laps. By the end he was panting for non-existent breaths and coughing violently into his shirt. His vision wavered a little and he stumbled forward.

"That was pathetic!" The coach yelled. "I've seen Internet Explorer run faster than you weaklings!" As usual, nobody dared to argue with him, not that anybody really wanted to, so with a disgusted sigh, he split the group in half. Boys on the basketball court, girls to the volleyball nets.

Sighing, Robin tried to shake the dizziness from his eyesight and wandered over to the rest of the boys, keeping a few feet of distance between him and them. Once the girls had their volleyballs and had been assigned to teams, Cleaman approached the cluster of males.

"One game, two teams!" He announced. "Shirts and skins." Then he started counting the boys off.

Robin tried to inch himself into line in an attempt at avoiding being chosen for skins, but he was not so lucky. He was sent with the other boys who had been selected and miserably removed his shirt. The gym was already freezing, but now without even the protective barrier of his cotton tee, the whole place felt like a freezer. Tossing his shirt aside like the others, he rubbed his arms and tried not to shiver too much.

He was ignored for the most part. Nobody really wanted to pass the ball to him, not that he cared, and for the first half he found himself wishing he could go join the girls instead. However, he knew that doing that would result in some very unnecessary and obnoxious teasing so he decided not to push it. He was perfectly content with being ignored, but after the second quarter of the game, Cleaman really started riding him about participation or whatever, so he halfheartedly got closer to the action and waited for someone to pass him the ball. He gave another deep, hollow cough and watched as the ball advance towards him, mentally preparing for it. This was his chance; nobody in the school had reflexes like him. He could steal the ball and score and then they would have to respect him. Cleaman would have to stop with all of his stupid little comments and the other boys would never be able to question his athletic skills again. This was-

"Hey bird boy! Look alive!" Cleaman barked.

"Huh?" Robin asked, realizing he had gotten lost in thought. He lifted his head and turned just as the basketball went flying into his face.

"Ah!" Robin cried out as the force knocked him right off of his feet in his weak state. He hit the floor with a painful thud and groaned as dark spots focused and unfocused in his vision. His nose hurt, bringing unwanted tears to his eyes and he resisted the urge to sneeze. Feet fell around him, blocking out the light and shrouding him in shadows as everybody came to look at him.

"Can't even catch a ball." Kaine t'sked disapprovingly.

Robin shakily sat up and immediately blood began to pour from his nose. He immediately brought a hand up to catch the spill but in mere seconds his cupped hands were pooling and overflowing with blood.

"Somebody get him his gym shirt or something." A voice spoke up, but nobody moved.

_Don't everybody go rushing at once._  Robin thought resentfully as he shakily rose to his feet and slowly made his way over to his abandoned shirt. He grabbed it and let the blood from his hands soak into the fabric while he gingerly pressed it to his aching nose. He looked up again to find everyone staring at him and his face turned hot and feverish. The bright fluorescent lights shined down into his eyes and the spots returned, but he willed himself not to faint. He was a warrior, a fighter. Fighters did  _not_ faint.

Well, not unless they happened to be extremely ill and staring at a shirt soaked in their own blood.

* * *

Robin woke up twenty minutes in the infirmary with a broken nose. His head pounded and the bright light made his eyes squint and water so he quickly turned away and came face to face with Slade. Shame immediately struck him to the core and he looked at Slade apologetically.

"You know Robin, when you first told me that you weren't meant to be in school, I thought you were being dramatic." The mercenary told him. "And now I feel that you were giving me an understatement."

Robin shrugged sheepishly. "I warned you." He said, his voice sounding rough and scratchy.

"And another thing, what made you decide to attend school with a temperature of one hundred and three point two degrees?"

Another shrug. "Didn't think sick days were very welcome in this place."

"Well it is if you're disrupting class time with fainting spells." Slade replied, sounding completely unsympathetic. "Or do you just like the attention?"

"Shut up." Robin snapped, though with his broken nose it sounded more like "shaddub". "You're the one who put me in this shitty excuse for a school."

"Blaming people for your actions again?" Slade sighed. "You might as well throw a good old-fashioned tantrum while you're at it."

Robin glared at him hatefully and sat up with a shiver. "So now what? Punishment? Back to class?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of Nyquil and hot soup." Slade replied.

Robin looked at him in surprise, unsure of what to say. From what he could tell, the man was being completely serious. On the other hand, this could all be a plot to get drugged up on Nyquil before being taken advantage of. He got out of the infirmary bed and shivered, wanting his shirt back. "Fine, but I'm measuring the medicine myself."

"Whatever you wish." Slade shrugged and stood, guiding Robin back to his bedroom where pajamas were already waiting for him. Feeling too weak to care, Robin stripped right there and slipped into the warmer clothes. Then he crawled into bed, savoring the silence that was never present with his roommates around.

Slade left and returned as promised with chicken noodle soup and a bottle of Nyquil that he then allowed Robin to mediate for himself. The mercenary remained by his side and observed with vague pleasure as the teen's unmasked eyelids drooped in a desperate attempt to remain awake. The boy curled up underneath the covers and his eyes flickered up to Slade with a warm recognition that Slade couldn't recall seeing before.

"Hmm."

"What was that, Robin?"

Another small hum followed by Robin's eyes closing.

"Go to sleep, Robin. You'll feel much better."

"…..…Hm."

 


	20. Chapter 20

By February, the novelty of going to school with the darling of Jump City had worn off completely. Sure he still got a couple shots of "fag" and "fairy" during gym class, but those kinds of things had become mere background noises. Unfortunately, the probability of making friends had just about diminished to zero, especially after single-handedly destroying the Valentine's dance. At least, that's what everybody was saying when they were finding a blame for all of the damage.

**February 10**

Robin was running a little late again. Slade had left early and hadn't bothered to wake him up. It wasn't his responsibility, but it was still nice. He burst out the door, simultaneously yanking his gloves on and lugging his heavy bag in the crook of his elbow as he raced down the hall. He earned suspicious and scandalous looks, since everybody in school thought he and Slade were fucking, but he was used to it. To be honest, he wasn't sure what would be worse: the student body thinking Slade fucked him into a mattress every night, or the student body thinking he was a scared little baby who had to sleep in Slade's bed because of nightmares that made him afraid of the dark. Both were humiliating, but at least the rumor told people that messing with him meant messing with Slade.

He scrambled into his first class just as the bell rang and took his seat. The florescent lights burned into his tired retinas and a soft chatter filled the room. His stomach groaned hollowly when the scent of coffee filled him and he sighed. Damn it, Slade.

Throughout the entire class his stomach growled and his abs tightened ravenously. In fact he was almost tempted to swallow gum if it meant the empty feeling would stop. He'd have to stop in the cafeteria before gym and grab something or he'd never survive.

Of course, he didn't get a chance. All food was closed up and the crotchety cafeteria workers wouldn't give him anything. He was sent off to sweaty hell with nothing in his stomach. Nevertheless, his luck turned around when he arrived and found the gymnasium stocked with balance beams and high bars.

"What?" Garrick whined in disbelief. "I'm not doing this pansy shit!"

The rest of the boys started to ramble off their disapproval as well, leaving Robin to slip in and out of the locker room without problem, finding a granola bar in his gym bag while he did. Maybe the universe did love him after all. Or maybe it was a set up. Maybe the universe was helping him to his feet before it kicked him in the balls.

"I don't want to hear any complaining!"Cleaman barked roughly. "If I don't teach it, I don't get a paycheck so get moving ladies!"

Robin chuckled to himself as the big lunks awkwardly clambered onto balance beams. They straddled the thing like a horse, only to tip over. Even Kaine seemed to be struggling as he hugged the bar like a koala. He couldn't resist letting out an amused snort.

"You think that's funny, fairy boy?" Spike snapped from his spot on the mat. "Let's see if you're laughing once I smash your face in!"

Robin grinned. Eh, why not? It's not like there was any risk in playing around with a giant dolt. "Gotta catch me first, blockhead." He challenged before running onto the beam. For the next half hour he had a fun time flipping down beams and hopping each bar as a mob of stupid jocks tried to beat his ass. For the first time, he was actually starting to feel like his old self. He was on top again and nobody could defeat him in his acrobatic glory. Robin truly was a bird. He flew higher and higher…until the bell rang. Luckily the boys were a bit too tired to mess with him, but that didn't stop their mouths from running.

"Flexiblility? Pfft. What good is that unless you're a slut?" Mammoth grumbled.

"I bet Slade just  _loves_ the way you bend for him, doesn't he Robin?" Kaine hummed. "You probably spread your legs really wide, huh?"

"Is that a tint of jealousy I hear?" Robin replied just as mockingly. "It must be so hard fingering yourself with all of those pointy rings you wear."

Kaine's eyes narrowed dangerously and began to glow slightly. "Shut up, you whore. We all know what  _you_ do behind closed doors."

"Oh no," Robin sighed dully, "how did everyone find out that I was a teenage boy?"

"It's disgusting." Kaine hissed. "Dirty faggots like you are worse than filth. You're rats."

"Wow, somebody's getting defensive." Robin smirked. "You have a secret, Kaine? Because I must say, no straight man wears that much jewelry."

"You disgusting little beast!" Kaine snarled. He stretched his hand out and Robin immediately moved to avoid an energy bolt, but instead his muscles seized up painfully. Kaine grinned maliciously, mumbling ancient words under his breath and he lowered his hand. Robin was immediately brought to his knees and his mouth was forced open.

"There. That's your place, sodomite." Kaine sneered as others around him began to laugh. Robin glared at him hatefully, every inch of his skin heating up with rage and humiliation. Words were one thing, but this would not be taken lightly. He'd had enough.

"Maybe I should leave you like this and led Slade find you." Kaine hummed. "He'd probably be quite pleased." His eyes flickered up to Robin's mask and he tilted his head thoughtfully. "Or maybe today should be the day we see who Robin really is." The locker room suddenly went silent, all laughter and chatter ceasing as Kaine reached out to touch Robin's face. The tips of his fingers had just brushed over it when the bell rang and his fingers sprang away. "Until next time, whore." He smiled before following the others out.

As soon as the locker room was empty, Robin regained mobility and he rubbed his sore jaw resentfully. Kaine's magic gave him the upper hand in arguments, but Robin was sick of letting that demon humiliate him. In fact most of his problems had originated from Kaine and it was time that overrated sorcerer's apprentice paid the price.

**February 11**

Robin woke up early and hurried to the cafeteria. Sometimes it amazed him how similar Hive Academy was to regular high school: the food, the teachers, and now, the Valentine's Day candy grams. He calmly approached the table with a sweet smile on his face and presented the two scowling student council representatives with a crisp one dollar bill.

"When do you deliver these again?" He inquired as he accepted the little card and began to scribble a note inside.

"Thursday at the end of second period." The grouchy looking girl replied.

"And you read the message out loud, right?" Robin asked.

"Per request." She shrugged.

"Excellent. Then I would appreciate if you marked this one down to be read aloud." Robin hummed before handing the card back.

"Whatever." She replied, looking like she'd rather do anything else.

Robin didn't mind, giving them all a cheerful grin before he headed back to breakfast with a small bounce in his step.

**February 13**

Robin couldn't sit still during class on Thursday morning. He was just too excited. He couldn't wait to see Kaine's face when the candy gram arrived. This plan was absolutely perfect and nobody could tell him it wasn't. Obviously there was a little risk in flaunting his homosexuality around like some big rainbow flag, but if it meant pulling Kaine down with him, it would be worth it.

In gym, he didn't even bother teasing the jocks about their sad lack of balance and flexibility. He sat on the end of a beam, swinging his legs and humming contently. His mood was untouchable. Even the irritated glares coming from his peers couldn't bother him. Not today.

The door of the gymnasium swung open and two boys from the student council entered, carrying single red roses with notes tied around the stem with white ribbons. Robin bit back his grin of utmost glee and gnawed on his lip with malicious anticipation. One by one the student council boys called out names and passed them roses, each boy getting a hoot or holler from the rest when his name was called. Garrick, unbelievably, received three and seemed pretty smug about it. Robin couldn't imagine who in their right minds would ever want to spend time with a boy who could barely spell his own name.

"Okay, we have a read out as well." One of the boys muttered, bringing a hand up to his hair. He glanced at his friend, who stared back expectantly and Robin could immediately tell that they'd competed to see who would have to read his card. The thought made his legs swing further.

The boy cleared his throat, a blush creeping up his neck as he opened the card. "Dearest Kaine, your beauty has beckoned me for far too long, your eyes too passionate, your lips…" The boy swallowed in embarrassment. "…your lips too inviting. How long must I wait until your mask breaks and our true love shines through your fear of judgment? How long must I bear the thoughts of you with another when it is clear that your heart belongs with mine?" The boy rubbed his eyes and sighed as the boys around him started to giggle and murmur. "Deny yourself no longer my passion and lust which you so sincerely desire. My skin flushes with each graze of your lips and when captured upon mine, I haven't a voice, or breath. Hide from the world no longer my sweetest Kaine, and accompany me to the dance tomorrow. With love, your darling little Robin." The boy sighed in relief and practically shoved the rose into Kaine's hand before hurrying out of the gym with his buddy.

The entire gym went silent and Robin had to bite his hand simply to keep from laughing at Kaine's horrified expression. All eyes were on the sorcerer, just the way Robin wanted and having received the desired reaction, a burst of courage shot through him. Humming to himself, he hopped down from the balance beam and flounced over to Kaine, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "See you there,  _babe."_

Robin hurried out of the locker room quickly that day, but apparently he wasn't quick enough because Kaine was waiting for him outside. The boy immediately grabbed him and shoved him against the wall hard enough to make Robin's head bounce. In less than a second his hand was wrapped around the raven's throat, a wildly furious look in his eyes.

"You dirty little faggot." He hissed. "You obviously didn't learn your lesson the first time. No matter, this time I'll make sure you bleed out completely."

Robin coughed, pulling at the hand on his throat but Kaine was obviously fueling his strength with magic. He gasped for air and kicked in attempt to catch him in the groin, but it was futile. Kaine was working on pure rage right now and it was all aimed towards Robin: Boy Wonder.

"And if you ever touch me again, I'll cause so much damage this time that you'll flinch at your own shadow." He growled lowly.

Robin's hands started going limp at his neck and spots invaded his vision as he struggled for air. When Kaine finally did unhand him, he slumped to the floor and gasped, sucking in all of the oxygen his lungs could tolerate. Resting his head back against the wall, he brought his hand up rub his throat and dazedly stared at Kaine's expression of contempt.

"That's okay." He wheezed with a grin on his face. "I like it rough."

**February 14**

Robin wore a tux to the dance, like most of the guys did. The girls all arrived in evening gowns and formal dresses with their flatiron abused hair and heavily applied eyeliner. He didn't quite see the attraction, but boys kept whistling and drooling in their direction so they must have done something right. He surveyed the whole room, but Kaine wasn't anywhere to be found. Very well, the seeds of suspicion had been planted. Now the gay witch hunt could begin.

He grabbed a drink and sat down at a vacant table in wait. It wouldn't take long for Kaine to arrive and once he did, he would be right there to welcome him. It was only a matter of time.

In fact it didn't take long at all. At seven twenty three Kaine entered the dance with Jinx hanging off of his arm. The girl was obviously thrilled to be Kaine's last minute choice and sent smug smirks in all directions at her top prize arm candy. The sorcerer himself seemed pretty satisfied for thinking of such a foolproof way to ensure his heterosexuality and Robin nearly had to roll his eyes. Maybe Kaine really was gay after all if Jinx was the best he could do. No matter, Jinx was hardly a threat. His plans would turn out just fine.

"Enjoying yourself, Robin?" Slade murmured from behind him and he jumped, whirling in his seat.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded. Well this would certainly put a damper on things.

"Chaperoning." Came the casual reply. Damn it. He should have known Slade would pull something like this. With that creep watching him all night he'd never get anything done! He was ruining everything!

"I thought you were better than that." Robin replied, willing the anger out of his voice. "Didn't think you'd stoop to babysitting."

"Well when one has a baby to sit…"

Robin gritted his teeth and glowered at the floor. He just couldn't get a break. "I'm going to get a drink."

Slade nodded and as he rose from his chair, Robin could immediately sense the man's gaze burning into his back. Had somebody tipped him off? Had he heard about what he did to Kaine yesterday and connect the dots? He was smart but surely he wouldn't waste time with some petty teenage game of revenge.

Nevertheless, he was determined to see his plan through and inched his way from the buffet table to the voting boxes. Apparently, even Hive Academy felt the need to idolize popularity while everybody else felt like shit with stupid little king and queen of the ball ballots. Oh well, if it meant getting back at Kaine, he gladly embraced the cliché tradition of vanity and exclusivity.

Making sure everyone was distracted and unaware of his actions he discretely pulled two thick bundles of ballot cards from his vest pocket and dropped one in each of the boxes before casually walking away. He hated being referred to as a queen, but this time, he wouldn't mind so much.

Robin didn't dance. He could even argue that he despised dancing. He spent the whole night sitting at the table with Slade breathing down his shoulder, but he didn't quite mind. At least this way it looked more like Slade not allowing him to dance rather than him just being a friendless loser. Ah, well…

"Don't you wish to dance or socialize?" Slade questioned from behind.

"No."

"I would have thought somebody of your age and-

"Nope."

"Rather sad. Here you are again, Robin. A living cliché."

"Oh well."

Robin kept up the conversation like this for twenty more minutes until his time finally came. Leaning back in his seat, he sipped his punch, which had started tasting a bit like somebody had spiked it three cups ago, watched a girl who he guessed was also from student council climb the stage and take the microphone. He chuckled lowly as he watched Jinx and three other girls who reeked of desperation line up on the left side of stage while Garrick, Kaine, and two other of his gym class tormenters take their positions on the right. Then came the long process of introducing each person followed by unnecessary applause and Robin almost yelled at them to get on with it. By now the punch had left him feeling warm and fuzzy inside. He was absolutely ready.

Kaine's name was announced, shocker, and a near deafening applause followed suit. Robin set his own cup down and clapped, unaware of the eager grin that painted his predatory expression. This was it!

"And the lucky lady who will receive a kiss and a special dance with our handsome prince…Robin!" She called out happily and everybody stopped. The girl did a befuddled double-take that made Robin nearly spit out his drink and the crowd began to murmur among themselves.

"The faggot?"

"He's not even a girl!"

"Who voted for him?"

"That's fucking messed up."

Robin hummed, setting down his drink before straightening his vest. He leisurely strolled onto the stage with a bounce in his step, the alcohol soothing any nerves he'd had despite the abuse he was eliciting from the masses. Then with a giddy little grin, he sauntered right up to Kaine, grabbed the back of his neck, and pulled him into a kiss.

To say that people got upset would be the understatement of the century.

If the hoard of furiously screaming people wasn't enough, Kaine throwing him across the room certainly was the icing on the cake. Robin slammed against the wall and looked up to find Kaine standing before him with eyes glowing red with fury. He let out a laugh, his head falling back. "What's wrong? Never kiss a boy before?" He sneered, though then again neither had he and it was kind of lame that he'd wasted it on this asshole.

"That's it! I'll kill you, you fucking piece of shit!" Kaine screamed ferociously.

"Yeah? Go ahead and do it!" Robin smirked tauntingly. He stood up and stepped aside, missing a ball of energy by an inch. A burst of fire shot towards him and when he realized nobody was going to stop Kaine, he started to run. Each step he took was accompanied with a dodge to powerful spells that Kaine were casting in his direction. He weaved through the crowd, ignoring the glares and hate that they spewed at him.

"Shit!" Robin hissed as a surging sensation of heat and pain shot through his back. He stumbled and rolled a few feet. When he heard Kaine approaching, he clutched his aching side and gathered to his feet. "Calm down it was just a joke!" He snapped. "Are you really so insecure about yourself?"

Kaine responded with a few more balls of flaming energy that sent Robin sprinting across the gym and right into Slade, who grabbed him roughly.

"I think you've had enough fun for tonight." Slade growled before moving to block his view of the young sorcerer.

"Move aside." Kaine snarled.

"No. I forbid you to cause any more damage to my property." Slade replied. "In fact I think you've done plenty." He added as he viewed the gym. The buffet table was destroyed: food spilled, table cloths burning, and the table itself was bent nearly in half. Decorations were in flames and scorch marks tarnished the floor. "Now if you'll excuse us." He seized Robin's arm and practically yanked him out of the gym.

"That…that was a disaster." Robin commented as they walked swiftly down the hall. "What the hell was I thinking?"

"You weren't." Slade snapped sharply. "You were being petty and childish. You've embarrassed not only me, but yourself and you are going to pay for that dearly."

 


	21. Chapter 21

Slade dragged a tipsy Robin into his bedroom and threw the boy face down on the end of the bed. In a few short seconds he yanked down the teen's trousers and boxer shorts and seized his practice staff from the corner. Robin immediately tried to push himself up, but Slade shoved him right back down before bring the stick down hard across his bare bottom.

WHAP!

"Irresponsible!"

WHAP!

"Immature!"

WHAP!

"Selfish!"

WHAP!

"Not to mention completely stupid!"

The staff came down again and again, making Robin scream out in pain. He kicked his legs and gripped the sheets tightly in his fists as the fabric soaked up the majority of his tears, the redness of his face competing with that of his behind. Slade didn't hold back, leaving welt after welt on the boy's blistering bottom. Each strike made Robin lurch forward, a bawling shriek ripping from his throat. When he hit the same spot twice, Robin saw stars and writhed around on the bed as if he was having a seizure.

"Learn from this experience, Robin." Slade barked as he brought the last two whacks down on his abused ass. "Petty revenge is childish and pathetic. You complain about these students bullying you and then you go and embarrass yourself by acting like a fool in public!"

Slade finally released Robin and the boy immediately curled into a fetal position. His pants and underwear were still pooled around his ankles with his shirt shoved up. His body, now slick from sweat from the pain, seemed to shrink before Slade's eyes and the boy tucked his head into his arms as tears streamed from his eyes.

"Well, Robin? Anything you have to say for yourself?" Slade asked, twirling the staff threateningly.

Robin struggled to stop hiccupping and restrained his sobs to mumble out a slurred "sorry!" before breaking down into pitiful bawls. Slade stood there and stared at him. He watched him wail like a baby for a little bit longer and then put the staff away.

"Please stop that horrible noisemaking." Slade sighed. While the view was completely and utterly delicious, he could have done without the incessant blubbering. At this point he would wake up the entire hall. He watched as Robin tried to suck in the sobs like a suppressed cough, only to burst out again moments later louder and full of force.

"Honestly, Robin." Slade shook his head. "What if your peers saw you now? What would they have to say?" This helped a little bit as Robin actually made an effort to wipe away his tears, though the fact that he had yet to stop crying made this very counterproductive. And then Slade noticed that a few of the nasty, purpling welts on Robin's ass were starting to bleed the teeniest bit and sighed. "Very well, roll onto your stomach." He stopped in the bathroom to select a tube of cream from the closet and made his way back to the pitiful teen. "I said roll over."

Robin did as he was told, probably terrified of more lashes if he disobeyed. Then Slade removed his gloves and did a quick once-over of the boy's abused bottom. Perhaps he had been a little rougher than necessary, but it would heal and with medication he doubted it would leave a mark. He squeezed a dollop onto his fingers and slowly began to dab the substance over the purple-y red bumps. Robin positively howled; his back arching so that Slade had to hold him down again. He finished up and tossed a pair of boxers at Robin.

"Seeing as you'd probably get killed in your sleep by your roommates tonight, I'll allow you to remain here for the time being." Slade said. "But only if you stop that irritating wail of yours."

Robin nodded, no longer crying but hiccuping as he wiped his tears away. The ointment had penetrated through his burning skin and was doing a good job at turning a blazing, throbbing agony into a dull ache. He tugged on the boxers and crawled into bed without so much as a whimper, much to Slade's relief. He would go absolutely nuts if he had to spend the night listening to the Boy Wonder's pity party.

"It's better than what those students would have done to you." Slade reminded him as he prepared for bed. He locked himself in the bathroom for several minutes before returning in sleepwear and claiming the left half of the bed. "You're lucky Kane didn't kill you."

"I don't know why I did it." Robin sighed and Slade was surprised to actually hear him speak.

"Oh? Please understand that I have trouble believing this." The mercenary replied.

"Well…I don't know. I thought like, maybe Kane might actually sort of like me a little and would finally admit it or something. It was stupid." He muttered, burying his face into the pillow.

"Yes." Slade replied softly. "It was extremely stupid. You should feel like a complete ass."

Robin turned his head and frowned. "Not exactly the comforting words I was looking for."

"I'm not here to be your teddy bear, Robin." Slade replied. "You brought this upon yourself and now you must accept the consequences. I'm not here to waste time with sentimentality and sympathy. I'm here to make you my apprentice and I'm starting to think you've forgotten that." Slade sat up. "Tomorrow morning you start a new training regimen. No more gym class, or history, or Hero Studies. All time needed for greater things. It's going to be much more intense so I suggest you get some rest." Then he turned out the light while Robin did some thinking in his head. Those were the classes he had with Kaine.

The boy cracked a small smile and snuggled into his pillow. "Thanks Slade."

"I wouldn't thank me quite yet."

* * *

Slade was not lying. The next morning he yanked Robin out of bed an hour before he was supposed to wake up and threw his uniform at him. The boy was given barely ten minutes to get ready before he was whisked off to the cafeteria for a breakfast of protein and vitamins before being yanked down the hall to the vacant training room.

He was made to do wind sprints, commonly known as suicides, (he wondered why) for a good hour with ten second rests after every twenty laps. Slade was thoughtful enough to give him water. Not to drink, oh no, but to throw in his face as he ran past.

"Faster, Robin." Slade scolded as the boy ran past him again. This time he didn't even bother to touch the mat, smacking right into it instead. "You call this stamina? Pathetic!"

Robin didn't reply, too busy panting to even utter a noise. His footsteps faltered and he tripped, diving into the mat head first. He hit the ground and rolled over, resting his head back as he fought for air.

"Get up." Slade ordered, only to be ignored. "You've only done two hundred and sixty three sprints."

Robin opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't. His chest heaved up and down and he brought his hands up over his head. "Wa…water." He wheezed.

Slade huffed and grabbed a container of water, tossing it at the boy who didn't even bother to catch it. It landed in his lap and he gratefully picked it up, chugging down nearly the entire bottle in half a minute.

"I hope you know that we're not done yet. Four hundred total and you're not even three quarters of the way there." Slade replied.

"Can't I come back to it?" Robin pleaded. "I'll do anything else."

"This isn't an aerobics class, Robin." Slade snapped. "Or have you forgotten who's in charge?"

Robin stiffened a little, recalling last night's caning and quickly shook his head. "No."

"Then don't question me. One hundred and thirty seven more laps."

Robin sighed and set his water down, miserably getting to his feet. He waited for Slade to say "start" and resumed his running; back and forth, back and forth until his legs were shaking from the effort and his lungs burned, refusing to stretch anymore. There was a pain in his side like jabbing knives and sweat dripped down his face like tears, soaking into the Kevlar of his clothes and pooling in his collar bone. He was on sprint three hundred and eighty-nine when his legs finally gave out from under him and no amount of trying would get them back up.

"Get up." Slade ordered. "You're not finished."

"My legs are done for. I physically cannot use them anymore!" Robin argued back.

"You can walk on your hands, can't you?"

Robin looked up at him in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

Slade looked him in the eyes and grabbed a staff from the wall, tapping it against his palm. "How about now?"

Robin sighed miserably and used the very, very last amount of strength in his legs to push himself up onto his hands.

* * *

Robin didn't finish his laps, for which Slade was rather unhappy about, especially when he had to carry the boy back to their room due to the fact he could not use his legs. He unceremoniously dumped the boy onto the bed and removed his shoes and belt without too much protest. Even more shocking was when Robin kept his comments to a mere hmph when he stripped him of his shirt and pants and replaced them with pajamas.

"You are no use to me like this. I must say you've gotten a bit soft." Slade told him. "Perhaps you should do a little less riding around on that motorbike of yours and a little more running on the treadmill."

"Yeah, because I have such an addiction to the bike I haven't driven in months." Robin retorted sourly. It wasn't much of a comeback, but he was too tired to be clever. Slade didn't help things by turning off the lights and tucking the covers around his body. A big hand ran through his hair, stroking the inky mess a few times. Robin found himself enjoying the sensation and leaned into it, his eyes drifting shut. The darkness interfered with only by the light peeking in from under the door and the gentle touch and the soft covers and his weary muscles…it was all so cozy. He turned his face into the pillow and fell asleep.

Robin's nap didn't last too long and to his surprise, the shower was running when he woke up. He bent his legs experimentally and sighed at how heavy his limbs felt. Nevertheless, he was comfy, so he just snuggled back under the covers which smelled unidentifiably like Slade. Oddly enough, that only made him feel cozier. He reveled in the soft warmth of the bed for a few minutes, but his peace was interrupted when the bathroom door opened.

Now, there was nothing remotely arousing about the idea of being kidnapped by one's worst enemy and being forced through months of torture and humiliation, but Robin was a teenage boy. A nice body was a nice body and those rock hard abs had Robin practically drooling from the corner of his mouth. Every muscle was smooth and tight and if that wasn't enough, water droplets were still scattered about in a way that seemed almost unrealistically sensual. He gaped openly, hypnotized.

"It's not polite to stare, Robin." Slade reprimanded lightly. His mask obviously remained secured to his face, but even that threatening symbol of his worst enemy couldn't stop the Boy Scout badge that was currently being earned in his pants. He blushed and looked away, but couldn't resist the temptation for too long, sneaking a peek as Slade collected a clean uniform and disappeared back into the bathroom.

Robin wanted to masturbate. He did. It had been so long, he was sure he would get off in less than five minutes, but there was no way he would consider it with only a door separating him and Slade. He may have been a hormonal teenage boy, but he wasn't an idiot. Still…

No. Absolutely not. Not in a million years.

Robin made himself sick. He bit his lip and held back a moan, his hand pumping under the covers. His cheeks flushed pink and he squeezed his eyes shut, letting his head fall back when pre-cum started to pearl at the tip of his cock. His hips bucked and he rubbed the gooey substance around with his thumb, feeling a small amount of sweat pool at the small of his back. He was a complete disgrace with his pants pushed down to his knees and those shameless whimpers escaping his throat. He sped up his hand, imagining it belonged to someone much bigger and stronger than him and felt himself getting close so he reached over and plucked a few tissues from the box on the side table in preparation. With one last feeling of utter disgust, he recalled the image of Slade's muscular abs, his broad, masculine chest, and the sight of those water droplets on his skin and suddenly he was cumming hard, his orgasm wracking his body with rigid muscles and erratic hip thrusting and little gasping moans until white stickiness spurted into his tissue coated hand.

Robin moaned softly in content and closed his eyes, letting the crumpled tissue fall into waste basket as he snuggled his pillow. His whole body felt serene and relieved.

"That was quite erotic, Robin. Have you ever considered hanging up your cape and becoming a porn star?" Slade commented from the doorway of the bathroom.

Robin shot up in his seat, his eyes wide. "Slade! I…" He face heated up; the room felt like an inferno. Fuck! Fuck! How the fucking hell was he supposed to explain this? Goddamn it! Fuck!

"An explanation is unnecessary." Slade told him. "It is very healthy for one to relieve stress through sexual gratification." Robin wished he could get crushed by a boulder, but Slade ignored his embarrassment, walking over to the bed and cradling Robin's jaw in his hand. "And as your master, your health is very important to me. Now why don't you tug your pants up and get started on your homework, hm?"

Wallowing in humiliation, Robin quickly yanked up his pants and curled into a ball.

"I'm going to get you some lunch." Slade told him. "And for future reference, there's lube in the drawer there."

Robin didn't respond and waited until Slade was gone to drop his face into his hands and sigh. What a fucking idiot. Slade was never going to let him forget about this.

 


	22. Chapter 22

Slade was at a crossroad. There was something going on with Robin, there was no doubt about it. Teenage boys were hormonal, yes, and horny beyond reason, but masturbating right in his bed, especially with only a bathroom door separating them? Perhaps Robin's sour attitude was purely a façade. Maybe it was possible that his kindness had taken effect and that Robin was indeed beginning to experience special feelings for him. He smirked a little. If this was the case, then it would only be a matter of time.

He had to go about this carefully. The last thing he wanted was to make a small mistake and push Robin away again. Slade needed to keep Robin close, but in a way that had Robin running to  _him._ He had to consider his advantages: his power, the blackmail, Robin's social isolation…

Slade came to a complete stop in the middle of the hall. Bullying was the answer. If he could make the students antagonize Robin, he could step in as a savior. Robin's basic survival instincts would tell him to latch onto Slade, and that's exactly what the man was counting on.

* * *

When Robin found himself back in class bright and early Monday morning, he was instantly afraid. While he had thought the Valentine's Day scheme had been a good idea at the time, he realized now that he had just dug his own grave. All he'd done was re-emphasize his complete and utter gay-ness to the entire student body. Girls laughed at him mockingly and whispered openly, boys shoved him, muttering "faggot" and "sissy" as they passed him in the hall, and Kaine was out to kill him with nobody to put a stop to it.

Robin took a seat in the very back of the room as the bell rang. His last class had shown him that not only would sitting in the front  _not_ guarantee protection from his teachers, but that it made him a perfect target for spitballs, micro-explosives, and God knows what else. By the time he'd finished scraping all of the shit off of his back, he sort of found himself missing Slade's warm-up sprints.

Other students filtered into the room and while most ignored him, a few sent him deadly glares before dropping their stuff on the desks surrounding him with a loud  _thunk._ Robin's expression betrayed nothing, but his stomach began to twist itself into knots as he found himself faced by hostile looks. The teacher was nowhere to be seen, which Robin suspected was intentional as Kaine strutted confidently down the aisle, his green eyes flashing bright.

"You're back. I assume you're done hiding behind your big bad master?" Kaine commented, looking down his nose at Robin. The hero knew better than to reply. Unbothered by the uncharacteristic silence, the sorcerer placed his hands down on Robin's desk and smirked, tilting his head. "What's wrong? Is someone feeling a little submissive today?" He crooned. "A result of Slade's punishment from the Valentine's Day dance? That would explain why Slade's kept you out of class for so long. Tell me, does he use a whip? Or a cane?"

Robin visibly winced and immediately his insides began to crumble as Kaine's face contorted into twisted glee. Around him, his accomplices joined in on his merriment, laughing obnoxiously loud so that everyone would know that it was Robin who was being humiliated in the back of the room. What the hell was wrong with these people? They were all sadists, every last one of them and if that wasn't enough to be afraid of, they all had motherfucking superpowers.

"So that's what you two do when everyone else is in class. Naughty, naughty." Kaine tisked, shaking his head with mock disappointment. "I wonder what Batman would think if he saw his sidekick being punished by another man."

Robin's fists clenched under the table: an automatic reaction. Kaine's lips stretched into a wide Cheshire smile and he leaned forward. "Tell me, Robin. After Batman punished you, how did he take you?" He purred. "Over a table? Or perhaps in a chair? Or maybe in the backseat of the Batmobile…" Kaine stood up straight and paraded around Robin's seat in a circle as the sidekick's face grew bright red at the thought of doing such dirty things with his mentor and adopted father. He tried to stop his embarrassment from emanating, but Kaine was feeding off of it, pulling it out of him.

"I bet…" Kaine started thoughtfully, "…I bet that Batman liked to bend you over a table and fuck you rough and hard." He decided. "I bet you moaned and begged for it like a dirty little slut, just like you do with Slade. I bet-

With a loud crash, Kaine went sprawling onto the classroom floor, desks shoved aside and creating a commotion that attracted the entire room's attention. Robin stood above him, his fist throbbing only the slightest bit as he wore an expression of pure hatred.

"You're a sick fuck." Robin glowered.

Kaine looked up at him incredulously, cradling the part of his jaw where Robin's fist had connected. "Big mistake, cockslut." He growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Bringing his other hand up with stretched out fingers, he suddenly clenched them into a fist and Robin felt his body tense up, like someone had a tight grip on his very soul.

Kaine smiled and rose to his feet , taking a step forward. "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to repay me for the trouble you caused at the Valentine's Day dance by being my pet. Understood?" He grinned, his eyes flashing bright as Robin's head nodded up and down. Kaine's mouth curled into a rotten sneer. "Very good."

Robin was admittedly afraid. Kaine left him alone once the teacher came into the room, but he knew this was far from being over. Kaine was just waiting until they were in the middle of a crowd to utterly humiliate him. The only question was how? White-hot memories of Kaine's blade digging into his back made his body stiffen. He cringed, his mind flooding with dysphoria as he frantically searched his mind for a solution to the problem. Teachers would be no help, nor would students, but perhaps if he reached Slade in time, he would have a chance at being rescued.

So when the bell rang, Robin sprinted out of the classroom, leaving his book bag behind. He turned sharply and raced down the hall to the dormitories, praying that Slade was there already. If he could just get to the dorm, he knew he'd be safe from everything, even Kaine. Nobody messed with Slade.

Robin turned again and found himself slamming into what felt like a wall. With a painful grunt, he fell back onto the floor, his limbs splayed out on the linoleum. Peering up into the fluorescent lights, he found Slade staring back. He glanced down towards the man's chest plate and was surprised when he didn't see a dent where he'd hit it.

"What now?" Slade inquired as Robin rubbed his head and clambered back to his feet.

"Kaine's trying to manipulate my will with his powers." Robin told him urgently.

Slade sighed. "You know, Robin, you are quite the tattle-tale."

Robin's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you taking his side? What the fuck?" He asked angrily.

"Robin-

"No!" Robin cut him off. "I have had it up to here with Kaine! He's a power-hungry sadist with magic fucking powers and he has a personal vendetta against me! He'd fucking kill me if he had the chance."

Slade was about to reassure him of his safety when he saw the slightest movement at the end of the hall. He looked up and found the sorcerer's apprentice approaching them with a devious smirk on his face. Robin didn't seem to notice his presence until he began to tisk disappointedly, shaking his head.

"Naughty, naughty, pet. You shouldn't be running around without your master." He purred, raising his hand before abruptly pushing it down again. Robin collapsed to the floor as if he had been crushed by something. He shakily rose to his hands and knees as Kaine watched him excitedly.

"What do you intend to do?" Slade asked, curiosity tinting his tone.

"Something I'm sure you'll appreciate." Kaine hummed contently.

"Leave me alone!" Robin barked, trying to fight the foreign will that was clouding his mind.

"So disobedient. Good pets are felt and not heard." Kaine replied. To prove his point, he forced Robin's mouth shut and flicked his wrist. Robin slowly crawled forward until he was practically sitting on Slade's foot. His confusion turned to mortification as his legs spread, capturing Slade's shin between his thighs. Then, he slowly began to grind his groin into Slade's leg, his face burning with humiliation.

"Much better." Kaine smirked smugly as he watched Robin make love to Slade's leg. The boy bowed his head, hiding his shame as the stimulation made his loins heat up and react. Slade obviously took notice of the bulge growing against his leg but said nothing. He looked up at Kaine expectantly.

"Well?"

Kaine's smile faltered before dropping into a frown. "Well what? Isn't this what you want? An obedient, doting apprentice to fuck into submission? Your kind always goes for the effeminate type."

"If you're searching for admiration, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed." Slade replied. "Why would I need your magic to make Robin do something he willingly does on his own?"

"You're lying." Kaine's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You're just protecting him because he's too weak to protect himself."

"True, he has grown terribly soft since he's started school here." Slade shrugged agreeably. "But I'm afraid it's all too factual. Just last night he pleasured himself for me in my own bed like a whore. Isn't that right, Robin?"

Both Robin and Kaine looked up at him in surprise. Slade looked down at Robin, his gaze hinting at him to play along. Robin reddened and looked away, but nodded cooperatively.

"Now if you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you released your bonds on my apprentice. He is mine, after all, and I'm the only person around here who should be giving him orders."

"Hmph." Kaine shrugged, smiling impishly before releasing his hold on Robin's mind. The boy immediately fell back and scrambled to his feet. Instead of sticking around to try and avenge his pride, he continued past Slade and disappeared around the corner.

For once, Slade was genuinely concerned with Robin's wellbeing. He knew from past experience that Robin's mind was fragile. His brave heroism covered up a little boy's trauma and now with all of the shit piling up on top of him, the façade was cracked beyond comprehension. All of this meant he wasn't surprised when a pillow came flying at him seconds after he opened the door to Robin's dorm room.

"Robin…"

"Get away!" Robin yelled. He snatched up a second pillow and held it over his head in preparation to throw it. His arms shook.

"Robin, your mind is in shock from the possession, please calm down." Slade tried to reason with him, but the boy refused to listen. The mercenary took a step forward.

"You liar! You told Kaine I was your whore! You lied! You promised you wouldn't touch me again!" Robin looked at him, hiding a wild expression behind his wide-eyed mask.

"I did it to save you, Robin. He was going to force you to do things. Disgusting, horrible things." Slade answered. "Is that what you wanted?"

Robin stared at him, the pillow still over his head. The light from outside the single window created a silhouette of Robin's small, dark form. "I'm not your whore!"

Slade sighed. He was starting to get sick and tired of all of this teenage drama. Hive Academy was starting to sound less like a finishing school for villains and more like a soap opera. Eager to put an end to Robin's hysterics, he slowly approached the bed. Robin tried to ward him off, even going as far as to chuck the second pillow at his head but he easily deflected it. Once he was standing directly in front of the boy, he halted and stared at him, waiting for him to finish.

Panting erratically, Robin started to pound on his chest, curses and small, frustrated noises flying from his mouth. Slade allowed it, raising his hand to the corner of Robin's face. His fingertips felt for the corner of his mask through his gloves and once they caught on the adhesive, the seized the material and tore it clean off.

Robin suddenly stopped and stared up at him. Half taken by surprise by Slade's audacity. The man stared back, his single eye piercing through his mind.

"I'm going to protect you, Robin." Slade told him. "Don't be afraid anymore."

"You're lying." Robin mumbled, glaring in the opposite direction.

"I wouldn't lie to you, Robin. I made a promise, or do you not recall?"

Robin's breath hitched and his hands quivered, refusing to meet Slade's gaze.

"You're shaken up, Robin. Your mind isn't used to that much magical influence." Slade commented. "I'm going to take care of you."

Robin didn't say anything else. Slade leaned forward and slipped an arm under the boy's knees, the other arm moving to brace his back as the criminal lifted him up. He hoisted him into a secure position and gently nudged Robin's head into place against his chest before turning around and inching the both of them out of the door.

With Robin's permission, he carried him down the hall to his own living quarters. Robin's mind wandered and for a while, he felt like he might even float away, but Slade's grip tightened around him protectively and slowly he began to fall back to Earth.

His eyes fluttered and he looked around, keeping his head resting on the soft area between Slade's breast plate and shoulder pads. Even through the Kevlar, Robin could feel the heat of Slade's body and he soaked it in. Comfort swelled around him and he pressed his cheek further into the spot.

Inside the private safety of the dormitory, Robin let Slade remove his clothes and help him into a pair of pajamas. He let Slade pick him up and carry him to the top of the bed as if he could no longer walk and he let him lie him down on the right side of the mattress where he always slept. He led Slade bring the blankets up around him.

The mercenary took a few minutes to take off his shoes and armor before he himself got into bed, gathering Robin into his arms and holding him tightly to make sure he didn't start floating away again.

 


End file.
